Kraken Front Office: Ron Francis Steps Down
The Seattle Kraken are entering a new era in their Kraken front office, with Ron Francis set to step down as president of hockey operations at the end of the season. The team announced Wednesday that the move was mutually agreed upon, closing the latest chapter in the franchise’s short but eventful history.
Francis, 63, joined Seattle in 2019 as the first general manager in club history and was the architect of the franchise’s 2021 expansion draft. He was promoted to president of hockey operations last April, while assistant general manager Jason Botterill moved into the executive vice president and general manager role. According to multiple reports, Botterill is expected to take over the full scope of hockey operations when Francis formally exits next week.
For a team still trying to establish a consistent identity in the NHL, the timing matters. The Kraken front office has been built around Francis’ reputation, experience, and long-term roster planning, and his departure signals a meaningful shift in how Seattle will be run going forward.
Francis leaves behind the foundation he built
In his statement, Francis said it had been an honor to help launch and lead the Kraken over the past seven years. He pointed to the culture the organization created, the people assembled, and the milestones reached, including Seattle’s first playoff appearance. Francis also thanked the ownership group, the broader organization, and the fans for their support, adding that he believes the franchise has a bright future.
CEO Tod Leiweke echoed that sentiment, saying the decision was made at the right time for both Francis and the club. Leiweke praised Francis for leaving behind a strong base of draft picks and promising prospects that should continue to shape the team’s future. He also thanked Francis for his professionalism and dedication as the Kraken front office prepares for a new phase.
Leiweke called Francis “hockey royalty” when Seattle hired him to lead the expansion effort. That description fit his résumé: Francis was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after a 23-year playing career that included two Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins. After retiring as a player, he spent eight years in the Carolina Hurricanes’ front office, serving first as director of hockey operations and later as general manager from 2014 to 2018 before moving into the president role in Seattle.
How the Kraken front office got here
Francis was tasked with building the franchise from scratch, but Seattle did not get the same advantage Vegas enjoyed in its expansion draft two years earlier. By the time the Kraken entered the league, other teams were better prepared for the process, which limited the immediate upside of Seattle’s expansion haul. That helps explain why the Kraken have not matched the early success of the Golden Knights.
Even so, the franchise has had a notable high point. Seattle has reached the playoffs only once in its five seasons, but that run came in 2022-23, when the Kraken upset the Colorado Avalanche in seven games before advancing to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. For a young franchise, that remains the clearest proof that the Kraken front office has at least assembled a team capable of making noise when everything comes together.
Now the responsibility shifts to Botterill, who has already been part of the organization’s leadership structure. The expectation that he will handle the totality of hockey operations gives Seattle continuity, even as the top of the Kraken front office changes. The question is whether that continuity will be enough to push the team from promising to consistently competitive.
What this means for Seattle’s direction
Francis’ departure does not erase the work he did, but it does open the door for a different voice to guide the next stage of the rebuild. Seattle has accumulated draft capital and prospects, and the next front-office decisions will determine whether those assets turn into a deeper roster or simply extend the team’s middle ground.
- Francis was Seattle’s first GM in 2019 and later became president of hockey operations.
- He oversaw the 2021 expansion draft and helped shape the franchise’s early roster.
- Botterill is expected to take over all hockey operations duties.
- Seattle’s best season so far was the 2022-23 playoff run to the second round.
- The Kraken entered Thursday at 32-34-11 through 77 games and were still mathematically alive for a playoff spot.
Seattle’s current record, 32-34-11 through 77 games, shows how much work remains. The Kraken were still mathematically alive for a postseason berth, though those hopes could be eliminated by Thursday night’s results. That makes the front-office transition especially notable, because the organization is changing leadership while still trying to finish the season with something to build on.
For now, the biggest takeaway is simple: the Kraken front office is moving from the Francis era to the Botterill era. Francis leaves behind the structure, the draft assets, and the first playoff run in franchise history. Botterill now inherits the challenge of turning that foundation into sustained success.
