Ron Francis to step down from Kraken at end of 2025-26 season
As the NHL’s regular season winds down, the landscape across the league continues to undergo major changes.
On Wednesday, the Seattle Kraken announced that Ron Francis will be stepping down from his role as President of Hockey Operations at the end of this season.
The #SeaKraken announced today that Ron Francis will be stepping down from his role as President of Hockey Operations at the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. We wish Ron & his family all the best → bit.ly/RF040826
Upon Francis’ departure, general manager and executive vice president Jason Botterill will take over hockey operations.
Francis was named as the general manager of the Kraken in July of 2019 in preperation for the team’s inaugural season of 2021-22. Seattle enjoyed relative success given the humble expectations of an expansion team during the early portion of Francis’ tenure, including making the postseason in their second season and scoring a first-round upset over the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche.
Unfortunately, the Kraken did not continue on an upward trajectory, as they missed the playoffs each of the past two seasons. Prior to this season, Francis assumed the role as President of Hockey Operations for Seattle, vacating the general manager position for Botterill to replace him.
With 75 points through 77 games this season, the Kraken sit in sixth place in the Pacific Division, and are staring down their fourth missed postseason over five years as a franchise. It’s unclear if the decision for Francis and the Kraken to part ways has anything to do with the team’s performance.
Francis played an integral role during the Kraken’s inception, consulting on the team’s name, practice facility, AHL affiliate, and hiring Dave Hakstol as the franchise’s first head coach.
Before joining Seattle, Francis spent seven years in a management role with the Carolina Hurricanes, at first as the team’s director of hockey operations before becoming the general manager for the final four years of his tenure there.
Of course, Francis had a legendary career as a player. He won two Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins, and is the Hurricanes’ all-time points leader. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007.