Bylsma added some conversations may also involve Kraken assistant general manager Jason Botterill and/or Firebirds director of business and hockey operations, Troy Bodie. The goal is to discuss the evolution of different players' games and help each achieve their greatest potential. When it comes to deciding which players to move between the two clubs, that conversation often includes Kraken GM Ron Francis.
"You want to know for sure a few things," Hakstol said. "You want to take into consideration, number one, what type of player do we need? What fills our need the very best? What style or what type of player is also a consideration. Who's doing a good job for Dan in Coachella Valley? That always has to be taken into consideration. That's a big part of it."
After this weekend's games versus Abbotsford, the Firebirds will head south to their new home and training center. The team's 4-2-0 start currently has them in fourth place in the Pacific division. They will work toward continued success as they play the next 12 games on the road until the Dec. 18 home opener at Acrisure Arena.
Though the two teams will no longer be in the same building, they'll still be in the same time zone and one flight away from one another. It allows players to move between the two with as little strain as possible, plus increases the efficiency of communication between the coaching staffs as they manage the individual paths of each player in the Kraken system.
"We're all on the same page of what we see in the players, what their foundation is, and how they need to play to be successful," Bylsma said. "I view the NHL players the same way. They're developing as well. Even at the highest level they need to be in constant development of their game and who they are as players and people. That carries down to us as a development league in the American League. That development plan is an organizational plan."