[5][6] At the time, the earliest a Seattle NHL team could have begun playing was the 2020–21 season pending the completion of arena renovations.

[7] On December 4, the NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the addition of Seattle's expansion team into the league.

[12] On April 30, 2021, the franchise paid the final installment of the US$650 million expansion fee, officially making the Seattle Kraken the 32nd team of the NHL.

"Dave possesses great experience, a strong work ethic, a solid technical understanding of the game, and the remarkable ability to communicate clearly and effectively.

I look forward to working with Dave as we strive to build a team our fans will be proud of," Ron Francis stated about Hakstol.

Seattle was granted a 48-hour window prior to the draft to sign any unprotected pending free agent (restricted or unrestricted, one per team).

On July 19, a three-day period where the Seattle Kraken could talk to unrestricted free agents (UFAs) begun.

[27] That same day, draft pick Gavin Bayreuther re-signed as a free agent with his former team, the Columbus Blue Jackets.