The winds of change are at long last a-blowin’ ans it appears they have come for the Kraken’s prez.
According to Elliotte Friedman of SportsNet, Kraken President of Hockey Operations will be stepping down from the role. GM Jason Botterill will largely fill the same leadership role.
Ron Francis was named as the first GM of the Kraken back in 2019, where he served as their General Manager for 6 years, and oversaw the initial expansion draft they were afforded. He was moved to the position of President of Hockey Operations in April of 2025, allowing Jason Botterill to take his place as General Manager.
Francis’ work as a GM will largely be tied to the identity he desperately sought out from his players and staff; namely that of a defensively minded team that contrasted with the Pacific Division’s high octane game as a whole. To this end, players like Jared McCann, Matty Beniers, Ben Meyers, Brandon Tanev, and Jordan Eberle found great success; and graduated numerous Coachella Valley Firebirds into the league, like Ryker Evans and Tye Kartye.
However, with hindsight I think it can be at least inferred that his patience in all things when it came to being a GM was both a blessing as well as a curse.
His patience often meant issues regarding players were either not addressed at all until the offseason, or often times rode out in some vain hope they’d get better. None perhaps fell to this concern more than Shane Wright, whose path to the NHL was rocky, and when pushed, often made moves that felt like they were done just to keep people satisfied to happen, rather than making decisions that benefited the actual team. He seemed far more content to build through the draft however he could.
Further…that need for defense. The overwhelming desire need for defense. The single most defining trait of the Ron Francis era. This was the hope of the Ron Francis’ Kraken. The Kraken desperately wanted to be the defense team of the Pacific Division under Francis. Nearly every decision with coaching and many of the player acquisitions made over his time was done due to that overwhelming desire to become the defense-first team in the division.
Whether or not he succeeded can be inferred from the Kraken’s record over the years he presided over the team. I would hazard that given that the Kraken rarely finished out of the bottom 5 in puck possession, that they largely did not.
Still, he leaves the Kraken, at least their farm system and their depth, which previously did not exist, in a state to be iterated upon and utilized to it’s fullest extent by Jason Botterill. Further, the Kraken have been able to enjoy some good times and their first signature playoff round win over his time. Given the monumental task that can be, we are grateful that he leaves the Kraken at least in a position where they can build and grow.
We wish him all the best in his future, and thank him for all he has done to build the Kraken to where they are.