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Former Seattle Kraken Head Coach Dave Hakstol Joins Conference Rival

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jul 8, 2025 5:19 PM ET

Dave Hakstol was the first Head Coach in Kraken franchise history, and after being fired, he's now found a new role with the Colorado Avalanche.

The Colorado Avalanche once again came up short in 2024/25 even with the return of Gabriel Landeskog, and heading into the summer, they knew they needed some big time changes if they are to reach their ultimate goal of another Stanley Cup.

While they're yet to make significant changes to the roster (moving out Charlie Coyle and others was a solid start to clear salary cap space), they've now made a major addition to the coaching staff.

According to a social media release from the Avalanche, they've now signed former Seattle Kraken Head Coach Dave Hakstol as an assistant, bringing a new perspective and a very experienced voice to Jared Bednar's staff.

The 56-year old has been a coach in the NHL since 2015 when he was hired by the Flyers, and while his overall record in that time as a Head Coach is 241-213-69, he's got immense experience and will bring that to this team as an assistant for the upcoming season.

This is Hakstol's first role since being fired by the Kraken following the 2023/24 season, after serving in the role for the team's first three seasons of existence in the National Hockey League.

Whether or not this move will be the difference in Colorado winning a Stanley Cup with this group or not, only time will tell, but under Jared Bednar, this is a very solid hire, and with a team still set up to go deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it's safe to say that this team is still very optimistic about their chances heading into 2025/26.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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