Three years after Dave Hakstol coached the Seattle Kraken to its first-ever playoff series win, and a year after he was let go as the team’s head coach, he’s joining the franchise he led the Kraken past in that postseason victory.

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The Colorado Avalanche announced Tuesday that Hakstol has been hired as an assistant coach on head coach Jared Bednar’s staff.

We have hired Dave Hakstol as Assistant Coach.

Welcome to Colorado, Dave! pic.twitter.com/QosruRCrOF

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) July 8, 2025

The 56-year-old Hakstol was the inaugural head coach in Kraken history and manned the bench during the team’s surprising second season in 2022-23, when it went 46-28-8 and made the playoffs as a wild card in the Western Conference. The Kraken went on to beat the Avs, at the time the defending Stanley Cup champs, in seven games in a first-round series, then went another seven games before losing to the Dallas Stars in the conference semifinals.

Hakstol would last just one more season in Seattle, however, as the Kraken had a disappointing 34-35-13 record and fifth-place finish in the Pacific Division in 2023-24.

The Kraken are already on to their third head coach, having moved on from Dan Bylsma after going 35-41-6 to finish seventh in the Pacific Division in 2024-25. Seattle hired Lane Lambert as its new head coach in late May.

Hakstol joins the Avalanche staff after Colorado let assistant coach Ray Bennett go.

“I’m excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the Avalanche,” Hakstol said through the official Avalanche website. “This is a proud organization with a lot of talented players and a tremendous coaching staff led by Jared Bednar. I look forward to being a part of this special group and can’t wait to get to work and help the team in any way that I can. My family and I are also very much looking forward to being a part of this community and wonderful state of Colorado.”

For more on Hakstol going to the Avs, check out this story from DenverSports.com.

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