The Seattle Kraken came into the NHL back in 2021 under the leadership of former NHL star Ron Francis, but in that time, they’ve struggled to make the impact that the Vegas Golden Knights did as an expansion team.
In April 2026, after appearing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs just once in their first five seasons, the team parted ways with Francis, who was promoted to president of hockey operations the year prior, handing the keys of the franchise over to general manager Jason Botterill.
This summer, Botterill became both the GM and the president of hockey operations, and with a key off-season ahead with the NHL Draft, the trade period and free agency, he could change the franchise moving forward, for better or worse.
Seattle Kraken Hire Former Vancouver Canucks General Manager
On Thursday, the organization officially made their first major change under the new regime in Botterrill, as they announced the hiring of former Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin.
With Botterill serving as General Manager, Allvin has been announced as his assistant, and with over five years of experience serving in similar roles in the NHL, he brings experience, connections and knowledge to the role. However, his time in Vancouver wasn’t all good, as he was routinely criticized for the moves he made, including the trade of J.T. Miller, ending a year long, public feud between he and franchise star Elias Pettersson.
On top of that, he was the person that pulled the trigger on a Quinn Hughes trade this past season, and while it appeared to be a good return for the Canucks captain, it earned him plenty more critics in the harsh Canadian market in Vancouver.
Also in the announcement from the Kraken was the hiring of Pascal Vincent as an Assistant Coach, with the 54-year-old bringing 82 games of experience as a Head Coach in the NHL to Seattle. Before landing this role, Vincent served as the Head Coach of the AHL’s Laval Rocket for the past two seasons, winning the AHL’s Coach of the Year award in 2024/25 as the Rocket posted their best record in franchise history under Vincent.
Seattle Kraken Look to Get Back Into Stanley Cup Playoffs Contention
The job ahead of Botterill and Allvin isn’t an easy one either, as the Kraken are a team with some very solid, reliable players, but to win in the NHL, you need dynamic superstars, something that they currently don’t have. In 2026 however, they’ve got the No. 7 overall pick in the NHL Draft to go along with young, rising stars such as Shane Wright, Matty Beniers and Berkly Catton.
Given how the tenure of Allvin ended in Vancouver, with the team going through three Head Coaches in three years, it’s unclear if this move will work out for Seattle, but given the experience he brings, it’s a good move to hire him in the AGM role. There was plenty of blame to be handed out to Jim Rutherford in Vancouver as well, and now, Allvin has the opportunity to thrive for one of the Canucks biggest rivals.
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