Analysis: Is Joey Daccord the Kraken’s new No. 1 goalie? Should Dave Hakstol be on hot seat?

SEATTLE – As we approach the NHL Winter Classic and the season’s halfway mark, the Kraken are on a five-game point streak but still sitting outside the second wild-card spot and dealing with worsening injury concerns.

Here are three thoughts on the state of the Kraken from the Seattle Times beat writers .

Is Joey Daccord the new No. 1 goalie?

Shefte: Right now, absolutely. He’s been more than a placeholder for injured Philipp Grubauer. In his first full NHL season, Daccord is settling in. It’s been a bumpy ride, full of third-period letups, as evidenced by the eight overtime losses that make up nearly half of his 20 appearances. But he recently recorded his first shutout, and his .911 save percentage is exceptional by Kraken standards. No goalie finished above .900 either of the previous two seasons. Wednesday’s victory over the Kings featured his best performance to date.

The risks of Daccord – which I find exhilarating, thanks for asking – were on display as the Kings scored their lone goal Wednesday. He was so far out of the crease on a Kraken power play and didn’t have time to scramble back after Justin Schultz glitched and offered L.A. a gorgeous centering pass. As coach Dave Hakstol said in Arizona, becoming a premier puck-handling goalie will come with growing pains. All signs indicate: worth the discomfort.

There have been times when I’ve wondered whether this is an audition. But this staff was happy to ride Martin Jones’ strong first half to last season until the moment the getting stopped being good. It’s a fickle business, and while they’re still paying Grubauer a No. 1 salary, there’s an expected return. If Grubauer comes back from injury the way he did last time and no funny business happens at the trade deadline, the role of top dog could get passed right back.

Baker: Daccord’s been so much better than Jones, it’s not even close. Give him four-goals-per-game support, the Kraken would be on a 10-game win streak.

On his No. 1 status, there’s an oft-repeated adage about guys not losing their job to injury, though that seemingly got tossed in Chris Driedger’s case. Look, when Grubauer returns, he’ll get the chance to win back some starts. But what Daccord has shown going on three-plus weeks is better than anything seen from a Kraken netminder since the franchise began.

Daccord is winning games for a depleted team that’s had trouble mustering more than three goals per game. And he’s beating quality opponents.

Daccord’s big problem a month ago was he’d play well and then allow a flurry of third-period goals. Well, that’s all but vanished. As you mentioned, the Kings’ third-period tally the other night was a fluke and more on Schultz than the wandering goalie. Otherwise, he’s closing out games he’d previously let slip away. For me, he’s now the No. 1 guy. If Grubauer wants that title back, he’ll have to take it away.

Are the Kraken back in the playoff race?

Baker: Yeah, technically, but they can’t let off the throttle because closing the gap won’t easy. By Friday they were five points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. They’ve pretty much forfeited anything but the final wild card, and their main hope of grabbing is that the team holding it down, the Arizona Coyotes, seems one cold streak from collapse.

So, that’s the good Kraken news. The bad is that the Coyotes still have two games in hand. Also, you have Calgary, Minnesota and St. Louis ahead of the Kraken with games in hand vying for that same spot.

I’ve always felt the Flames and Wild had playoff potential. And as always, the Edmonton Oilers, goaltending issues aside, can’t be ruled out. They’ve tumbled two points behind the Kraken but, alas, have four games in hand.

So the Kraken must ride momentum into January until injured forwards start returning. They’re not even close to out of the woods. One more losing streak of four or more, they’re done.

Shefte: Yeah, those games in hand all around the Kraken are concerning, but you never do know if others will capitalize. It’s hard to believe the Coyotes are going to be the ones to close the deal.

If the Kraken go on a heater, they’re right back in it. They haven’t been able to string more than two wins together, so that looks unlikely now. But a five-game point streak in the middle of serious injury woes is something.

With four coaches fired, should Dave Hakstol be getting more heat?

Shefte: I get persistent emails I never signed up for … but still sneak a peek at, clearly … about which NHL coach is the favorite to be fired next according to BetOnline. After Ottawa Senators coach D.J. Smith was shown the door this week, Buffalo’s Don Granato is the top suspect, unsurprising after a bad stretch. (Have to say it – they’ve won one more game in December than the Kraken have.)

Hakstol is fifth on the list, below Lindy Ruff, at 8-1 odds. Just something you might find interesting.

Hakstol signed a two-year extension in July that runs through 2025-26. There seems to be a lot of trust in his vision, even though it hasn’t translated into results this season. I suspect the Kraken’s recent successes and the fact that this isn’t yet as rabid of a market as Ottawa or Buffalo play into his having more time to turn this ship around.

Baker: You hit on something with the markets. Of the coaches fired, their teams in Edmonton, Ottawa, Minnesota and, yes, even St. Louis, all play in serious hockey markets compared with this one.

I mean, I grew up in Montreal, where Al MacNeil won a Stanley Cup in 1971 and was fired before coaching another game. Two years ago, the Canadiens fired Dominique Ducharme midseason after making the Cup Final the previous spring. This season, Jay Woodcroft got bounced by Edmonton after fewer than two full campaigns and making the playoffs twice. Dean Evason didn’t have a losing season in Minnesota and was 4 for 4 making the playoffs. So, yeah, tough crowds in serious hockey towns.

It’s worth noting none of the coaches fired had as many playoff victories as the Kraken last spring. So the Kraken have arguably fallen further.

Now, do I think Hakstol will be fired this season? No. Partly because of that lack of public outcry for expectations not met.

Also, as you mentioned, Hakstol was extended last summer and deserves credit for his playoff run despite how my hometown views such things. He’s had a real injury excuse since late October and wasn’t part of a front office that jettisoned the NHL’s best-scoring fourth line.

That said, by his own words, Hakstol knew at training camp how important a quick start would be this season. The Kraken had the antithesis of that – before injuries really took hold. So that’s on him. If the Kraken miss the playoffs, I think Hakstol starts next season on thin ice.