The Seattle Kraken just lost their general manager, and honestly, it was probably time.
Ron Francis - Hall of Famer, franchise icon, one of the greatest players in NHL history - is stepping down after failing to build on the team's surprise playoff run.
And that phrase, "failing to build," tells you everything you need to know about what went wrong in Seattle.
The Kraken's first season was whatever. Expansion teams are supposed to struggle, and they did. But then came year two - that magical, unexpected run to the playoffs. They shocked everyone. They played exciting hockey. They made the Pacific Division sit up and pay attention.
Fans in Seattle thought they'd found something special. They thought this was the foundation of a winner.
Except it wasn't. It was the peak.
The Kraken haven't been back to the playoffs since. They've regressed. They've looked lost at times. And the roster construction has been... questionable.
That's on Francis. That's the GM's job - to build on success, to capitalize on momentum, to turn one good year into sustained excellence.
Instead, the Kraken went backward. And when that happens, somebody has to take the fall.
Look, I love Ron Francis the player. Top 10 all-time in NHL points. Two-time Stanley Cup champion. Class act his entire career. He's a legend, and nobody can take that away from him.
But being a great player doesn't automatically make you a great GM. Different skill sets. Different challenges. Different pressures.
Francis was tasked with building an expansion franchise from scratch. That's incredibly difficult. You're starting with nothing. You're picking from the scraps other teams don't want. You're trying to create an identity in a league that already has 31 established identities.
Give him credit: he got them to the playoffs in year two. That's remarkable. Most expansion teams take years to even sniff the postseason.
