He’s not going anywhere.
The Seattle Kraken have announced that Ron Francis, the first and only GM in franchise history, has signed a three-year extension to remain with the club through 2026-27.
“Ron has done remarkable work over the last four years and deserves this recognition,” Seattle Kraken co-owner Samantha Holloway said in a statement. “He has built a tremendous team, putting Seattle hockey on the map. He is building for long term success and is dedicated to our city, our fans, and our community.”
Francis was hired in July 2019, two years before the 2021 Expansion Draft and with a lot to do. He had to build out a staff that included research and development, coaches, scouting and ultimately players. There was also the need to construct a quality group of prospects who could evolve and sustain success at all levels of play.
Francis joined the Kraken on July 18, 2019, over two seasons before the Kraken hit the ice for the first time. Francis had previously served as director of hockey operations and, later, the GM of the Carolina Hurricanes in 2014. He was promoted to president of hockey operations in March 2018 before getting terminated a month later.
In just two seasons, Francis has made the Kraken a force in the Western Conference. The team missed the playoffs in 2021-22 but finished fourth in the Pacific Division this year. The Kraken beat the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Colorado Avalanche, in the first round before falling to Dallas in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinal.
The Kraken have built a solid young prospect pool, which includes high picks Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, as well as unsigned free-agent star Tye Kartye.
Francis had one year left on his contract, so the new deal will give him some stability as the club looks to remain relevant early on.
“We said from day one, we want to do two things,” Francis said at the end-of-season media availability. “We want to have a competitive team up top which I think we built, and we want to continue to build from the ground up."
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