Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis said he never received an ultimatum from the players to fire head coach Dave Hakstol.
Francis spoke with Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times following a report Monday by ESPN’s Emily Kaplan that several players had made it clear they wanted a coaching change.
Hakstol was dismissed from his services on Tuesday after three seasons behind the bench.
“No player has issued an ultimatum of any kind regarding the coach, I can assure you,” Francis said.
“That’s not really the point of these meetings. Usually we tell players what they need to do to prepare for next season, or how we think they did this season. No one is sitting there asking them, “What did you think of the coach?” That’s not what these meetings are for.”
Veteran Kraken forward Jordan Eberle also denied the report.
“Talking to a lot of guys, I know we all had different opinions, but no one ever gave an ultimatum that if [Hakstol] was still there, so they wouldn’t play,” Eberle said. “I mean, it was ridiculous to me. When I heard this, I was quite disappointed. This is not how we as players or as an organization want to behave. »
A native of Drayton Valley, Alberta, Hakstol finished his tenure with the Kraken with a record of 107-112-27. He led the expansion franchise to its first-ever playoff appearance last season.
