Could The Seattle Kraken Make a GM Change?
Entering the season, the Seattle Kraken were a long shot to make the playoffs. Since entering the league in the 2021-22 season, the Kraken made the playoffs once and made it to the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. However, the Kraken have taken steps backward instead of forward as they finish their fourth season in the NHL.
The Kraken will miss the playoffs for the third time in franchise history. Seattle already made a coaching change, as new head coach Dan Bylsma is getting the most out of his young players, especially Shane Wright. However, all eyes are on General Manager Ron Francis and how he constructed the team during the expansion draft.
Francis took a different approach than George McPhee and Kelly McCrimmon with the Vegas Golden Knights. And no team entering the NHL was going to replicate Vegas's success in its first season. Not to mention, teams got wiser about who they protected and how they traded. But Francis is under fire for the signings and some of the draft picks for this team.
And the NHL Trade Deadline was big for him after acquiring Kaapo Kakko from the New York Rangers earlier in the season. Francis moved out Yanni Gourde, Brandon Tanev, and Oliver Bjorkstrand to set the team up for future success.
As Rob Simpson of SeattleHockeyInsider.com told Full Press Hockey, Ron Francis is under pressure as the Kraken GM to turn things around. But the question is, will he be the general manager of the Seattle Kraken when they start to turn the corner and have real success?
"That's the interesting question. Because I believe there's a year left," Rob Simpson told Full Press Hockey. "Will they give him the full five? He didn't get the full five in Carolina. Never made the playoffs in the four years as the GM. Or the assistant prior to that and didn't get that fifth year. They booted them. Do they keep him around and let them have that fifth year here? Or do they say, You know what, this is not acceptable? Me, I'm changing, personally."
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As previously written, it is tough for an expansion team. The Kraken had to follow the example of the Vegas Golden Knights. Seattle had to field an NHL team, but there were some overpayments, mainly for goaltender Philipp Grubauer, who had one healthy season for the Kraken.
"There's just too much baggage on the roster. Some of it was kind of the pressure of being an expansion team. And you make some of those signings; you're going like, oh God because you're kind of desperate to find a goalie," Simpson continued. "Philipp Grubauer, who's guess what, was waived in the minor leagues for $5.9 million per season. (He is back with the Kraken now). Good luck getting rid of that. Nope. So that's a buyout possibility. Ownership loves that.
Andre Burakovsky, five and a half. He's got a couple left. So yeah, the Grubauer thing, it's tough. Yeah, I think he played 31 and 30 games in back-to-back seasons as the number one $5.9 million guy, pulled his groin both years and then this year, early season, hurt himself at home. So, yeah, he's out."
As Full Press Hockey previously documented, the key was the NHL trade deadline. Seattle had players to move, and they did just that.
"I would see what he does at the trade deadline here," Simpson said. "Ron; he's not exactly; he's not like trader Jim Rutherford. He's made a couple of deals this year, but he's not really active that way. So let's see what happens at the deadline."
There was pressure on Ron Francis to be a smart decision-maker at the deadline. He was very successful in acquiring a 2027 second-round pick from the Winnipeg Jets for Brandon Tanev. Francis already acquired two first-round selections and a second-rounder for Yanni Gourde and Oliver Bjorkstrand from the Tampa Bay Lightning. So, part one of the job was completed.
However, there still is a sense Francis could be on the way out because making the playoffs is important, especially to the owners who like the playoff revenue. So, if they do make a change, it will come at the end of the season.
"I think, by the way, if they do make a change, I would think it would be, it won't be before, but it might be after," Simpson continued. "Because you want to have the new guy have an opportunity to see what he's got to address, evaluate a little bit as the thing winds down, and then have an opportunity to have the new guy be able to get to know the draft, the amateur scouting, all that good stuff leading up to the draft and leading up to July 1 free agency."
Once the season finishes in mid-April, all eyes will be on the Seattle Kraken. A change in the GM would make sense, but with this organization, you never know.
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