Seattle Kraken Sign Ex-Flyers GM In A Puzzling Move
The Seattle Kraken are in the process of rebuilding their front office. On June 19th, 2026, Ron Francis left the organization to join the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team he played for in the 90s.
Francis joined the team as a Special Advisor to Hockey Operations. As the Kraken's first GM and eventual President, the team fared decently under his leadership, securing a trip to the playoffs in 2023.
But they've never had a winning record, truly never sniffing contention in a weak Pacific Division dominated by the Vegas Golden Knights and Edmonton Oilers.
Since then, that success hasn't been replicated under new GM Jason Botterill.
The decisions made by the front office continue to puzzle us, as they announced the hiring of former Philadelphia Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher in a senior advisory role to the GM.
Fletcher served in a similar role with the New Jersey Devils during the 2024-25 season.
Welcome to the Emerald City! 👏
— Seattle Kraken (@SeattleKraken) September 16, 2026
Chuck Fletcher has joined the #SeaKraken as senior advisor to the general manager. pic.twitter.com/b5SnJ6izSu
Legacy Of Failure
While time heals all wounds, and people do deserve second chances, his notoriety surrounding his record leaves us scratching our heads.
The man responsible for kneecapping the Minnesota Wild up until the 2020s, which Bill Guerin had to find a workaround to get out of.
Wild beat writer Michael Russo of The Athletic reports that Parise and Suter will officially become free agents July 28. Russo tweeted that the Wild will pay each $6.7 million over the next eight years, while freeing up more than $10 million in salary cap space this year. That money will be extremely timely, as the club attempts to sign skilled forwards Kirill Kaprizov and Kevin Fiala to extended deals. A top line center is also a pressing need.
His tenure with the Philadelphia Flyers left much to be desired, with a 141-145-43 record over five years, making the playoffs once. Serving as GM for the Wild from 2009-18, he built a roster that was a playoff contender, winning two series in nine years, but never made a deep playoff run.
Fletcher served in a similar role with the New Jersey Devils during the 2024-25 season.