With dates set, Ron Francis and the Seattle Kraken can now really get to work

It all starts now for the Seattle Kraken and General Manager Ron Francis.

While the NHL’s other 31 teams are now preparing to open Training Camp after an agreement was reached to start the 2020-21 season on Jan. 13, 2021, the Seattle Kraken and Ron Francis will be gearing up for a huge July.

Before all NHL fans got the early Christmas gift they’ve been longing for with the 2020-21 season being given the go-ahead, the full calendar for the upcoming NHL year was revealed.

More from Puck Prose

• Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
• This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
• 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
• 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
• This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings

And it makes very interesting reading for Francis and the Seattle Kraken.

While they will have to be mere spectators once again this season, they now know when certain events that will shape the very future of this franchise will take place.

Per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft will take place on July 21, 2021 and will quickly be followed by the 2021 NHL Entry Draft on July 23-24 and then NHL Free Agency on July 28.

Those three events, which will all follow in quick succession, will shape the short-term future of the Seattle Kraken as they look to construct the first-ever roster in franchise history.

While Ron Francis and his team will already be deep in the weeds when it comes to preparing for the NHL Expansion Draft and the 2021 NHL Entry Draft in particular, they now at least have some concrete dates to aim for.

Those dates become even more significant for the Seattle Kraken when you consider that, per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet, NHL teams are now required to submit their protection lists by 5 p.m. ET on July 17.

The Kraken can then start interviewing players left unprotected at 10 a.m. on July 18, before having to finalize their picks by 10 a.m. on July 21, while both UFA’s and RFA’s can be signed by Seattle before the NHL Expansion Draft.

It means that it is officially go time for Ron Francis and the Seattle Kraken now and they have strict deadlines to work by as they plan to finalize preparations for their inaugural season in 2021-22, which the NHL hopes will feature a normal full 82-game schedule.

Seattle still needs to hire a Head Coach and that process could now be sped up given that the organization is aware of when certain key events will take place.

After all, the Vegas Golden Knights involved then Head Coach Gerard Gallant in the process of constructing a roster and we saw how well that worked out with the Knights making it to the Stanley Cup Final in their inaugural year.

Francis will be aware of recent history and he’ll also be aware of how key it will be to have a Head Coach on board who can be actively involved in trying to build a roster from scratch, so today’s announcements acted as the official green light for the Kraken who have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time.

It is important that Francis has some concrete dates to work by now because that crazy seven day stretch in July, which will see the Kraken build the core of their roster at the Expansion Draft, start to build a farm system at the Expansion Draft and then beef up their team through Free Agency, will act as the most defining and pivotal moments in the early history of the NHL’s 32nd franchise.

As such, the margin for error is razor thin for Francis and his staff and they can now really hammer down and formalize as bullet proof a plan as possible when it comes to putting an immediate winner on the ice in 2020-21.

Of course, we will be ramping up our coverage of the Seattle Kraken and the Expansion Draft, the 2021 Entry Draft and Free Agency shortly and what players could be playing in Seattle for the NHL’s newest franchise.

But, for now, while the rest of the league is getting ready for a return to work on Jan. 13, 2021, the Seattle Kraken and Ron Francis now have a concrete timeline in which to work from as they continue to lay down the foundations for what they hope will be a successful first few years in the history of the franchise.

And it is now a race to July for the Kraken.