Seattle was awarded an NHL expansion team in December 2018. The Kraken won't debut until October 2021 -- giving the NHL's 32nd team a nearly three-year ramp-up. Its hires have been calculated and gradual (in part to keep costs at bay).
Tod Leiweke joined as CEO early on and formed a business staff and analytics department. A general manager, Ron Francis, was named seven months in, and his first hires were pro scouts to begin working on the expansion draft. Seattle is still in no rush to hire a head coach -- which made it curious that a year before the team was scheduled to take the ice, the Kraken had already brought on head strength and conditioning coach Nate Brookreson.