Report: Seattle Kraken hire outside firm to perform audit of hockey operations
We knew the Seattle Kraken were in for an organizational reset this offseason with the departure of Ron Francis as their President of Hockey Operations, but it appears the team’s overhaul will be more profound than initially thought.
According to Fox 13 Seattle‘s Curtis Crabtree, the Kraken will be working with The Sportsology Group to perform a full-scale audit of their hockey operations. The audit will analyze Seattle’s current organizational structure, scouting, player development, and decision-making processes, along with all other aspects related to the hockey team.
The Seattle Kraken have partnered with The Sportsology Group to perform the audit of their hockey operations, including organizational structure, communication and decision-making processes, player development, scouting, analytics integration, etc.
The Sportsology Group is a firm that specializes in providing strategy, analysis, support, and consultation to sports organizations with regards to their internal functioning. It has worked with multiple high-profile sports teams in the past, including the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, and Philadelphia Eagles. The firm is headed by executive chairman Mike Forde, who had previously been the director of football operations for Chelsea FC of the English Premier League.
The Kraken finished this past season with 79 points, putting them in sixth place in the NHL’s Pacific Division and 13th place in the Western Conference. They have now missed the postseason in four of their five years as a franchise, as their inaugural season came in 2021-22.
With Francis now removed from the organization, general manager Jason Botterill is in control of hockey operations. Given that Botterill’s previous highest position was general manager of the Buffalo Sabres from 2017 to 2020, it makes sense that Seattle’ ownership group, One Roof Sports And Entertainment, would want to bring in an external firm to ensure the organization will be operating in an optimal manner.
The Kraken have the seventh overall pick in June’s NHL Entry Draft, and have decisions to make on pending unrestricted free agents such as forwards Bobby McMann, Jaden Schwartz, and Eeli Tolvanen.