The Colorado Avalanche have added some additional experience to their coaching staff. According to a team announcement, the Avalanche have hired Dave Hakstol as an assistant coach for the 2025-26 NHL season.
It’s been almost two years since Hakstol has coached on an NHL bench. He was the first head coach in Seattle Kraken franchise history, leading them to their first postseason in his second year, where they defeated the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche in the first round.
Unfortunately, the team failed to live up to renewed expectations the following season, leading the Kraken and Hakstol to go in separate directions. He finished his tenure in Seattle with a 107-112-27 record in 246 games.
Before being hired by the Kraken, Hakstol had a two-year stint as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Before joining the Original Six franchise, Hakstol had been the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.
His time in Philadelphia was mostly a mixed bag. He finished with a winning record through the regular season and coached the Flyers to the playoffs in two seasons, but they failed to move beyond the opening round. Ultimately, Hakstol finished with a 134-101-42 record in Philadelphia over 277 games, but was fired partway through the 2018-19 season after a disappointing start to the season.
The former long-time head coach of the University of North Dakota now joins his fourth NHL franchise of his career and his second job as an assistant coach.
It’s kind of odd. Ray Bennett was specifically fired because of the Avs dreadful power play performance during the Dallas series but I’m not aware of Hakstol being any sort of a PP specialist. Maybe Bednar knows him and thinks he’d be a good fit. He was never able to pick his own assistants, he took over Roy’s when he was hired and they persisted all these years until Bennett was let go.
With all of his success, do you really believe that Jared Bednar never had any input into the makeup of his coaching staff?
Wow! Hakstol gets yet another opportunity.
led the flyers to two of their three playoff appearances in the last ten seasons.. and the kraken to their only playoff appearance.. both franchises regressed after he was fired
You wouldn’t know he’s found some success in the regular season with @Sparky’s reaction to the hiring 🙄
In any case, if he was hired to improve the PP, we’ll see if his hire was any good. He’s made the playoffs in 3 of his like, 6.5 seasons as head coach, and those teams weren’t even that great. (Yes, those Giroux-led teams overachieved)