The Seattle Kraken finished with 76 points this season, compared to the Utah Hockey Club's 89. (Rob Gray-Imagn Images)Big changes are already afoot for the Seattle Kraken.
After missing the playoffs for the second straight season, they fired coach Dan Bylsma and promoted Ron Francis to president, replacing him as GM with former assistant GM Jason Botterill.
The Bylsma firing comes almost a year after the Kraken handed former bench boss Dave Hakstol his walking papers.
Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times listed several potential candidates to fill the vacant coaching position. Former New York Rangers coach Peter Laviolette was one, though she suggested that could create a conflict with Kaapo Kakko. The 24-year-old RFA was traded to Seattle by the Rangers after struggling to garner ice time under Laviolette.
Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was also on Shefte's list. The 2024 Jack Adams Award winner's future remains uncertain as he considers whether to sign a contract extension with the Canucks. Tocchet could become the hottest free-agent coach available, making it challenging for the Kraken to outbid other teams for his services.
Before the coaching and front-office changes occurred, Shefte's colleague Matt Calkins looked at what the Kraken must do this summer to regain relevance.
Calkins suggested they leverage their draft capital to acquire one or two true scoring forwards. They have five first-round picks and five second-rounders over the next three drafts to draw on for trade bait.
Turning to the Utah Hockey Club, Spencer Lazary believes they have several key questions to address during this off-season. Among them is which players they might pursue in this summer's UFA market.
Retaining those two would still give Utah enough cap room to make a major signing or two this summer if they spend to the cap.
Lazary proposed using their 2025 first-rounder as a bargaining chip in the trade market. They could also dangle left winger Matias Maccelli as a trade candidate.
Belle Fraser of the Salt Lake Tribune observed the 24-year-old's production declined this season, becoming a frequent healthy scratch during the second half. She noted that his role with the club is unclear, suggesting an off-season trade isn't off the table.
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