As the Seattle Kraken pursue their search for a new head coach without making much noise, a new name has emerged in the conversation. As per Mike Benton, a sports radio host based in Seattle, a source shared with station 933KJR that Dean Evason is one of the candidates to be Dave Hakstol’s successor. Evason was most recently behind the bench for the Minnesota Wild but was given his pink slip last November after a disappointing start to the campaign.
Were he to be the Kraken’s new hire, it would make for an interesting choice. It can be argued that there is some good and some bad that comes with the Manitoba native. To that point, let’s explore the pros and cons for the Kraken if they go with Evason.
The Good: Consistency
First and foremost, it should be stated that the 59-year-old delivers consistent results. That alone brings with it pros and cons, but for now, we shall hand Evason his flowers. He nearly always does a splendid job of producing relatively sound, efficient hockey teams that win most of their games. More importantly, they regularly earn postseason berths.
This success isn’t limited to his time in the NHL. Nay, his wizardry for building good clubs goes back to the late 1990s when he was behind the bench in the WHL for the Kamloops Blazers. From 1999-00 through 2001-02, the Blazers never finished with a losing record and were playoff-bound each season. The same can be said of his two seasons working for the Vancouver Giants and his lone campaign with the Calgary Hitmen.
After spending some time with the Washington Capitals as an assistant, the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals came calling in 2012 where he coached from 2012-13 through the 2017-18 season, with four playoff participations in six campaigns.
His big shot came, of course, in 2019-20, when he became the interim coach for the Minnesota Wild. That summer he was given the job on a long-term basis. Readers can probably guess what happens next. From 2020-21 through 2022-23 the Wild played meaningful April hockey each season. Evason was even a Jack Adams Award finalist in 2021.
There are no two ways about it. The Wild have been mostly good under Evason’s guidance. They were one of the NHL’s top-scoring teams in 2021-22 (3.72 goals per game, good for fifth) and were a top 10 defensive side in 2022-23 (2.67 goals against per match, good for seventh).
Certain players have carved names for themselves with solid stats during Evason’s time in Minnesota. Left winger Kirill Kaprisov hit the 100-point mark in 2021-22 and is a regular threat. Matt Boldy, whom the franchise drafted in 2019, has developed into a capable offensive weapon (60 goals the last two seasons combined). Defenseman Jared Spurgeon had terrific campaigns in 2021-22 and 2022-23 with goal differentials of plus-32 each time. The jury may be out on goalie Filip Gustavsson, but he put up terrific numbers in 2022-23.
Seattle certainly could use a head coach who can get consistent production out of teams. The franchise has only existed for three seasons, so the sample size is small but there have already been highs and lows. A second-round participation in the Stanley Cup Playoffs was sandwiched between two postseason-less campaigns. Considering Evason can get his best players to score goals is critical, because Seattle was a woeful attacking force this past season.
The Bad: Lack of Playoff Success
Well, he was relieved of his duties, after all. Yes, an argument can be made that it mostly had to do with Minnesota’s poor start to the season. They were 5-10-4 and looking rather hapless.
That is mostly likely the dominant reason why he was let go. But whether the Wild would admit to it or not, there has been a trend throughout Evason’s head coaching career. It’s both a good and bad one. It also bleeds from the earlier point that he is consistent, if nothing else.
Evason never led Minnesota past the first round of the playoffs. In the summer of 2020 they failed to win the qualifying round and were ousted in Round 1 by the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, by the St. Louis Blues in 2022, and by the Dallas Stars in 2023.
Related: 4 Seattle Kraken Head Coach Candidates
But winning in the playoffs is hard, one might offer as a counterpoint. True, although Evason’s playoff woes go way back to his AHL and WHL days. In the WHL, Kamloops was swept in its three playoff appearances, the Giants lost 4-2 and 4-1. In his only season the Calgary, the Hitmen won the first round but lost the second. Those Milwaukee squads in the AHL that at least earned playoff spots in four of six seasons? That’s correct: four first-round exits.
If we tally Evason’s entire playoff record – all leagues and levels combined – he is 19-51. That doesn’t fit anyone’s definition of a decent playoff record. A lot can happen in the postseason. Key players can suffer injuries, bad matchups, and bad luck, to cite but a few. Even so, this could be a risky choice by the Kraken, potentially preventing the team from attaining greatness.
Then again, it’s unclear how much the parties have spoken. It also depends on what general manager Ron Francis wants. What is the club’s objective? To be more consistent? To make the playoffs? To make them consistently? To win multiple playoff rounds? Only Francis and his inner circle know the answer to that. It’s a delicate balancing act to achieve given the franchise’s young existence. Evason would be the kind of choice to make the team good and see what happens from there. Frankly, that’s not the worst thing one sell to a new fanbase for it to buy into the product. Just be good. That’s the minimum a fanbase can ask for.
