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Ron Francis: Kraken Exit Day 2024 Quotes and News



I’ll be updating this post with quotes from Ron Francis’s season-end press conference.

Similar thread with interviews with players and Dave Hakstol – https://new.reddit.com/r/SeattleKraken/comments/1c8wztv/kraken_exit_day_quotes_and_news/

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>GM Ron Francis’ year end press conference is underway. Opening remarks: “The big difference this year is we couldn’t score like we did last year.” References shooting percentage decline. But compliments defense and goaltending.

>Francis: on optimism about young developing players “our pipeline is very bright but there’s a process to that.” Says development isn’t linear. There’s a lot of good pieces, the challenge is intertwining them with what we have in the lineup.”

> GM Ron Francis on whether the entire coaching staff will return: “We’re still in that process now.” Mentions that he thinks it was a bit of a “unique” season with injuries. Says “you’re going to read into it either way” with that answer, but that’s where they are.

More on the coach review from https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/kraken/kraken-coach-dave-hakstols-future-on-hold-until-evaluation-is-complete/

>Francis told reporters during a season-ending news conference at the Kraken Community Iceplex that the process is the same as he’s used in the team’s previous three seasons. That will include meetings with the coaching staff and the franchise’s management team.

>Francis says Jordan Eberle broke his hand in the fourth Kraken game of the season, at home against Colorado. He referenced the fight against Logan O’Connor. Eberle played through it.

>Francis says the message to players after last year’s success was “don’t this is going to be easy (to repeat).” After this year’s slow start, that message was a “little more stern” – players need to be ready out of the gate.

>GM Ron Francis on Matty Beniers: “He continued to work hard in practice. He continued to be [the same person off the ice].” Francis thinks cold start to the year “weighed” on Beniers. Says he has “no concerns” about Beniers long term.

>Francis says regarding McCann playing both wing and center that “in an ideal world” Kraken would like to have him at wing, but he’s a good fallback option down the middle as well.

>Francis on state of the prospect pool specifically the success with Firebirds – “they’re playing in a winning environment and learning how to win.” Gives credit to scouting, coaching and development staffs.

>GM Ron Francis: Says the team looked a number of things in free agency last summer but things “didn’t fall the way way they wanted them to fall.”

>Francis says he feels confident about play in goal and the defense in front of it “going forward” with 6 of 7 defensemen from this season already under contract for next year and the development of Ryker Evans that Kraken saw this year.

>GM Ron Francis on the team’s RFAs: “We’ll get conversations going really soon with Tolvanen and Beniers.” Says he expects to get something done there. On Yamamoto, Francis says they have to decide whether to qualify him or not because he has arbitration rights.

>Francis points to effects of injury and being unable to play as part of Burakovsky’s lower point totals – can affect your confidence in your game. The GM is excited that 95 will go play in Worlds and continue to get back to his timing / scoring touch

>GM Ron Francis on Shane Wright: “He’s much more confident. He’s having fun again.” Mentions that Wright’s late season stint in Seattle “couldn’t have gone much better. I don’t see any reason [Wright] couldn’t make the team coming out of camp [next year].”

> Kraken playing in Worlds: Tatar, Grubauer, Bellemare, Burakovsky, McCann, Tanev, Oleksiak. 6-7 others elected not to participate. One other player still deciding on whether or not to go.

>GM Ron Francis: As the year went along, the team talked about naming a captain for next year rather than the current set up. Says he’ll be part of those conversations.

> (follow-up to previous tweet) Rob Francis says it’s a neck injury. So this makes so much sense.
>> Vince Dunn, who appeared in just 2 games after an illegal hit March 4 from Calgary’s Pospisil, didn’t elaborate much in his exit interview. Said it wasn’t an injury he “wanted to mess with. Not something you could really play through, jeopardize myself or my team’s performance.”

by SiccSemperTyrannis

6 Comments

  1. gary8447

    Francis has the personality of a toaster and seems to be on a 10 year roster building project.

  2. beardyman22

    Interesting comments about the coaching staff. I imagine he’s waiting to see who’s available in the offseason to see if it’s an upgrade.

  3. BigHunt_02

    Interesting comments about the coaches. Leaning more towards Hakstol being gone or some of the assistant coaches being replaced.

  4. RaymondLuxury-Yacht

    >Francis says he feels confident about…the defense in front of [the goal] “going forward” with 6 of 7 defensemen from this season already under contract for next year

    Confident in the 129 points in 420 games between those six defensemen?

    Ron Francis, as someone that grew up a Whalers fan, this pains me to say, but: you are an idiot and need to be shown the door.

  5. sixmudd

    So if hakstol doesn’t come back, who do we want to replace him? For the sake argument, let’s say he gone (I know this is not certain).

  6. tonytanti

    Eberle playing with a broken hand is awesome hockey things. Explains the slower start to the season

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