Free Advice #4: After Kraken Coaching Change, "Will They Take Big Swings?"

The bulls-eye now rests squarely between the shoulder blades of Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis.

The target had been on the back of Kraken coach Dave Hakstol, until Francis removed it, and Hakstol, from his job at 10 am Monday.

Francis will now be tasked with much more than finding a coaching replacement. The GM will have to upgrade a roster which failed to make the playoffs last season, partly the reason they're looking for a new bench boss.

NHL insider E.J. Hradek said on NHL Network , "The reason that Vegas went from a team that went to a Final in Year 1 to a team that won a Stanley Cup in Year 6 is because upper management and ownership were determined to add the pieces that were necessary when they became available.

"Jack Eichel was a risky proposition at the time. He was having surgery. The got free agent Alex Pietrangelo, Mark Stone, go down the list. They play big.

"Will Ron Francis and that group in Seattle play big? Will they be willing to trade young players and draft picks to get better in the present? That's the question. if they want to be distinctly better next year, will they take big swings?"

"If they don't, they'll stay in that mushy middle for the next several years, as they hope for young players to emerge."

Previously:

Free Advice For The GM #1
Free Advice For The GM #2
Free Advice For The GM #3