Kraken’s Ron Francis to return for fifth season as general manager
The Seattle Kraken are sticking with general manager Ron Francis.
Earlier Tuesday, Kraken CEO Todd Leiweke confirmed that Francis will remain as the club’s GM for the upcoming 2025-26 season, reports Kate Shefte of The Seattle Times.
Appointed GM of the Kraken ahead of its inaugural season, Francis has been at the helm in Seattle now for four seasons, ushering in an expansion franchise that has missed the playoffs in all but one season. In 2022-23, following a 100-point season, the Kraken qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, upsetting the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round before later falling to the Dallas Stars in a seven-game series.
This season, the Kraken will finish no better than fifth-last in the Western Conference, with the club standing 35-40-6 ahead of Wednesday’s regular-season finale against the Pacific Division rival Los Angeles Kings.
The Kraken had aims of climbing the standings this season following an offseason spending spree that saw the club recruit former Vegas Golden Knights center Chandler Stephenson in unrestricted free agency, signing him to a seven-year, $43.75-million pact, while also adding veteran rearguard Brandon Montour, fresh off a Stanley Cup championship with the Florida Panthers, on a seven-year deal worth $50 million. In all, the 30-year-old Stephenson sits second in team scoring with 51 points coming in 77 games, matching his point total with Vegas from a year ago, while Montour has led all Kraken defensemen with 40 points counting 17 goals and 23 assists coming in 80 games.
As the Kraken continue to build toward the future, the club has seen intriguing promise this season from 21-year-old center Shane Wright whose first full season in the NHL has witnessed him collect 19 goals and 24 assists for 43 points in 78 games, while the team also made a savvy addition in former New York Rangers forward Kaapo Kakko who since arriving in Seattle has put up 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 48 outings.