Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis Signs Extension
By Ryan Ritchie
Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis Signed to Extension That Keeps Him With Club Through 2018-19 Season
Announced Tuesday morning by owner Peter Karmanos Jr., Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis has signed an extension that will keep him in Raleigh through the 2018-19 NHL season.
Francis, 53, was promoted from Director of Hockey Operations to Executive Vice President/General Manager in 2014-15. He first got involved with the business side of hockey a couple of years after retiring from the NHL.
Ron initially accepted a position as Director of Player Development with Carolina back in 2006-07. A year later in 2007-08, he served as Assistant GM to Jim Rutherford. A short-lived role, Ron Francis took on dual duties between 2008-09 and 2010-11 as Director of Player Personnel and Assistant Coach. Ron Francis was promoted to Director of Hockey Operations in 2011-12 where he served until being named General Manager.
"Peter Karmanos Jr. via Sportsnet,“Ron has rebuilt our organization the right way, stocking our team and system with young players who will help this franchise compete for the Stanley Cup year in and year out,” Karmanos said in a press release. “I’m thrilled that he will continue to see the job through. The future is very bright for the Hurricanes in Carolina.”"
Ron Francis, an NHL Legend
After retiring following the 2003-04 season, Francis was a first ballot Hall-of-Famer inducted back in 2007. He still ranks second in all-time assists behind Wayne Gretzky, and ranks fifth in all-time points (just 52 behind Mr.Hockey Gordie Howe).
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Ron Francis accumulated 549 goals, 1249 assists (1798 points) in 1731 regular season games over his 23-year career. He also racked up 46 goals, 97 assists (143 points) in 171 postseason contests.
A decorated player, Francis was a two-time Stanley Cup Champion in 1990-91 and 1991-92 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He even scored a Stanley Cup clincher to help secure back-to-back wins in ’91-92.
Ron won numerous awards over his career: He was a three-time Lady Byng Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike) winner in 1994-95, 1997-98, and 2001-02; A King Clancy Trophy (Leadership/Humanitarian) winner in 2001-02; and Frank J. Selke Trophy (Top Defensive Forward) winner in 1994-95.
A 4th overall draft pick in 1981 of the now defunct Hartford Whalers, Francis spent nearly 10 seasons with the organization (wore the “C” for five years) before joining Pittsburgh for their Stanley Cup run in 1991-92. He spent nearly eight seasons with the Penguins before joining the re-located Carolina Hurricanes (from his former Hartford) in 1998-99.
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Reaction to Francis Extension
Let me tell you why an extension that keeps Ron Francis around for three more years makes sense. It’s simply too early/soon to make a fair or proper assessment after two short years at the helm.
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If anything, the Carolina Hurricanes could be worse in 2016-17. They turned the page on longtime leader Eric Staal in 2015-16, and also traded veterans John-Michael Liles and Kris Versteeg to acquire young promising players.
Ron Francis continued to make additions during the offseason, first making a deal with Chicago to obtain Teuvo Teravainen and Bryan Bickell.
Teravainen fell short of expectations with the Blackhawks, and the Canes are hoping a change of scenery with bigger opportunities might help. In the case of Bickell, Carolina is likely hoping he can re-establish himself similar to Kris Versteeg last year, and maybe even garner some future assets.
Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis also signed free agents Lee Stempniak (two years) and Viktor Stalberg (one year). Either could potentially bring in extra assets at the trade deadline.
Prospect Pool Reason for Optimism
Until we see the likes of Valentin Zykov (acquired in Versteeg deal), Aleksi Saarela (acquired in Staal deal) or any of the prospects selected with those acquired draft picks, it will be difficult to assess those trades.
The defensive side of the prospect pool stepped up in a massive way this past season. Jaccob Slavin and Brett Pesce established themselves as core pieces moving forward. 2015 5th overall pick Noah Hanifin had a solid rookie season looking like a seasoned veteran at times. He definitely has the potential to be a future number one on the blue line.
Hurricanes also have Haydn Fleury, Trevor Carrick, Roland McKeown, and Jake Chelios (son of Chris Chelios) scratching and clawing at the door for NHL duties. Let’s not forget they also invested a 13th overall pick in LHD Jake Bean at the 2016 NHL Draft, although his arrival is a little further down the road.
Carolina also has a handful of promising forwards that could be impact players a little ways down the road. Expected to arrive in 2016-17 is Finnish standout Sebastian Aho, coming off a gold medal performance at the World Juniors playing on the top line with Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi. Aho also had a stellar season in the Finnish Elite League (SM-Liiga) scoring at a point-per-game rate, and challenging Laine as a top performer in the postseason.
Among the names that could have a big impact in the next two to three years: Brock McGinn, Phil Di Giuseppe, Sergey Tolchinsky, Valentin Zykov, Aleksi Saarela, Nicolas Roy, Clark Bishop, Julien Gauthier, and Janne Kuokkanen.
Lastly, we address goaltending. Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis is in a tough position between the pipes.
Sure, he could go out and acquire a veteran such as Marc-Andre Fleury or Ben Bishop, but it doesn’t fit the mold of what he’s trying to build. The option always exists to target a Joonas Korpisalo or Calvin Pickard (for example) type, but that should be a last resort option.
At this point, Cam Ward and Eddie Lack are capable of carrying the load and at least keeping this team competitive. The hope likely dwindles on American prospect Alex Nedeljkovic. He was arguably the top goalie at the World Juniors in 2016, and continues to show signs of being a future NHL starter.
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Long story short, it’s too early to judge what Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis has done so far. Sometimes in life you have to take a step back to make a bigger leap forward, and it seems the Hurricanes may fall under this category. Ron Francis seems dedicated to building properly through the draft to ensure this franchise can soon return to playoff contention year after year. Only time will tell.