Unexpected: Brenden Hakstol, the offspring of the head coach of the Seattle Kraken Dave Hakstol ,passed away approximately 45 minutes ago.

On Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken’s general manager, Ron Francis, rejected claims made by Emily Kaplan that key players on the Kraken roster had expressed their unwillingness to continue playing for the team if head coach Dave Hakstol returned. Francis stated that the organization was disappointed by these reports and insisted they were untrue. He and several prominent players, including Jordan Eberle and Jared McCann, adamantly denied that any such conversations had taken place. In an article by The Seattle Times, Francis and players like Eberle and McCann asserted that there were no instances of dissatisfaction with Coach Hakstol expressed by players that led to his dismissal. Francis emphasized that player feedback did not influence the decision to part ways with Hakstol, which was made for other reasons.

Furthermore, Francis clarified that exit meetings with players are not intended for airing grievances about coaches, and no ultimatums were presented regarding the coach in any meetings, including those outside of the exit interviews. He emphasized that these meetings typically focus on preparing for the next season or reviewing performance from the current season, rather than evaluating the coach.

Hakstol was among several coaches fired during the season, and while the Kraken underperformed, Francis noted that this cannot be solely attributed to Hakstol.