Kraken Make Major Changes Behind The Scenes Ahead Of 2026-27 Season

The Seattle Kraken spent the summer making sure their players will have more people in their corner when the 2026-27 season begins.

Some of the changes are obvious. Others will be noticed only inside the walls of the organization.

Seattle added a former NHL general manager to its front office, brought in a veteran coach with extensive NHL and AHL experience, promoted members of its performance staff and added new specialists in nutrition, mental performance, physical therapy, analytics and player development.

Perhaps the most notable addition is Patrik Allvin, who joins Jason Botterill as the Kraken’s vice president and assistant general manager.

Allvin spent the past several seasons as Vancouver’s general manager and was a finalist for NHL GM of the Year in 2024. He and Botterill also know each other well, having worked together for a decade in Pittsburgh while helping build three Stanley Cup-winning teams.

That relationship gives Seattle another experienced voice in a front office looking to take the next step.

The Kraken made a similarly significant addition behind the bench.

Pascal Vincent replaces Jessica Campbell as an assistant coach after spending the past two seasons running the Laval Rocket. Vincent won AHL Coach of the Year in 2025 after leading Laval to a 48-19-5 record and brings seven seasons of NHL assistant-coaching experience with him.

Head coach Lane Lambert was deliberate in finding Campbell’s replacement, and Vincent’s résumé ultimately checked the boxes Seattle was looking for.

The organization is also putting more resources into what happens away from the rink.

Nate Brookreson has been promoted to director of sports performance, while Jake Jensen becomes head strength and conditioning coach. Brandon Wickett returns to Seattle as an assistant strength and conditioning coach after spending last season with the Philadelphia Flyers.

Madison Yerigan has also joined the Kraken as their full-time lead dietitian, giving players dedicated support for nutrition, recovery, hydration and meal planning throughout the season.

There is a similar emphasis on the mental side of the game.

Matt Brown takes over a newly created position as director of mental performance. Brown has spent three decades working with elite athletes, including Canadian national team athletes, and will work with Kraken players, prospects and the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

Seattle is also adding physical therapist Mike Funyak to its athletic training staff and expanding its research and development department with Dan Cassario and Sabrina Escalona.

Then there is Dolan Gilbert, who may have the most unusual job of the group.

Gilbert will work in research and development while serving as Seattle’s emergency backup goaltender, a newly mandated NHL role that requires him to practice and travel with the team.

The Kraken have made changes to their development pipeline, too.

Former defenseman Justin Schultz has joined the player development staff and will work primarily with young defensemen, drawing on a 12-year NHL career that included two Stanley Cups.

Seattle also added amateur scout Brad Ginnell, while the Coachella Valley Firebirds hired Scott Ford as an assistant coach and Mike Crocock as a skills coach.

None of these moves guarantees anything once the puck drops.

But they do reveal where the Kraken believe they can improve.

The organization is adding experience, specialization and depth to the people responsible for developing, preparing and supporting its players.

Now comes the harder part: turning all of those additions into results.

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