Francis on Brighter Future

Kraken GM Ron Francis has been through his Hall of Fame share of NHL trade deadlines, before and after social media noise entered the swap-scape. As a player, he was traded from his first team, the Hartford Whalers, to Pittsburgh at the 1991 trade deadline and moved to Toronto from Carolina mid-season in 2004 during his final NHL season. Plus, he manned the GM chair for four trade deadlines in Carolina from 2014 through 2017.
But when Francis took a brief moment Monday morning after the Marcus Johansson trade was announced, the Seattle hockey leader made it clear the five transactions he made to trade six Kraken players and gain back 10 draft picks represented a first for him.

"It's the most deals I've done, for sure, a record for me," said Francis. "It's been an impressive few days for our staff."
The Seattle dealing started with Calle Jarnkrok going to Calgary last Wednesday for three draft choices in return. Francis and crew went red-alert hot (think eye of the Kraken) Sunday afternoon at 5:30 Pacific time, announcing a trade sending team captain Mark Giordano and high-motor forward Colin Blackwell to Toronto for three more picks.
By 16 hours later, the Kraken had traded three more players for four more picks. Ten picks in all to make it 12 in this summer's draft, 13 in 2023 and nine more in 2024. Nine picks in the first two rounds this summer and next.
What's behind those numbers is what excites Francis and his assistant general managers, scouts and analysts.
"The foundation of any successful [NHL] organization is draft picks and prospects they have coming," said Francis. "Where teams going into this season had five years of draft picks, so potentially 35 players in their system, we had seven. That will come as we build up."
The league's biggest stars were young draft picks just like Kraken first-round pick and University of Michigan catalyst Matty Beniers, who's done nothing this hockey season to dissuade the idea that he is a star in the making. Pick any NHL difference-maker and Stanley Cup winner, the overwhelming majority are drafted and developed by their original teams.
Sixteen NHL squads have advanced to the conference finals (hockey's version of the Final Four) in the last four seasons. Fourteen of those teams had at least two top-10, first-round picks in their lineups. Tampa Bay, the two-time defending Cup champ, had five.

Matty Beniers was a top-two pick. In a season that Francis called "not easy for us [front office and coaches], not easy for players, not easy for fans" the undeniable light to follow is another top pick, highly likely, worst case, top-five or top-six and maybe even No. 1.
The volume of picks Francis collected? He knows what it can produce. He and several members of his staff that were with him in Carolina and work now for Seattle made 33 picks in four drafts. More than 80 percent - 27 players - are with NHL organizations five to eight years later.
That's an elite percentage among NHL general managers. There is no reason to doubt Francis will deliver again with the Kraken. Studious fans know the team's 2021 second- and third-round choices (defenseman Ryker Evans and center Ryan Winterton) are outperforming their already lofty expectations this season.
But, no mistake, the Kraken's trade deadline moves are intended to be part of making the team better on the ice next season. Francis and the coaching staff spent part of Monday talking to team leaders ("some wearing the 'A' signifying alternate captain and other strong leaders in our locker room") explaining why the exit of six regulars for copious draft assets is part of a short-term plan to skate side-by-side with longer-term development of young players who become pillars of the franchise.
"It is important for me and for the coaches to make our players aware we are not doing this to draft and develop and be good five years from now," said Francis, "but that we now have tools to be better next season."
Here's what Francis and head coach Dave Hakstol were no doubt discussing with players-and equally important for the Kraken faithful to hear ("our fans have been outstanding," said the GM):
- Francis used expiring Kraken contracts to acquire picks, which he plans to use at the 2022 NHL Draft (July 7 and 8). Plus - and this is a key concept - he intends to use draft picks as trade capital to acquire new players in the offseason. Lots of teams "spend" their draft picks for a postseason push and, win or lose, look to replenish their draft cupboards in the offseason. - Four of the players traded are unrestricted free agents or UFAs (Mark Giordano, Calle Jarnkrok, Colin Blackwell, and Marcus Johansson) on expiring contracts that end when the season ends. They are free to sign with any team they want. - "When you've got guys on expiring contracts," said Francis. "You're going to lose them for nothing at the end of the year if you don't make a deal or get them signed." - Francis gained eight picks for those UFAs: "I think we got fair return on the players we moved out." - Two younger players, defenseman Jeremy Lauzon and forward Mason Appleton, are restricted free agents or RFAs who could have been retained with a "qualifying offer" to keep them on the Kraken roster for another season (when they would then become unrestricted free agent if not re-signed during the hockey year). The qualifying offer in some cases comes attached with the player's ability to go to arbitration, which might lead to an unexpected hit on the salary cap and perhaps unwanted pressure to match that salary for other young restricted free agents on the roster. - In the case of both Lauzon ("he was good for us") and Appleton (clicking and scoring lately on a line with Yanni Gourde and Blackwell), Francis said the draft choices offered were "more than fair value" to justify the trade. - Francis doesn't anticipate drafting 34 prospects with the current motherlode of 34 draft choices over the next three summers (equaling almost five draft years worth): "I'm not hoping to use all of those, but we do think we can get some good players with those picks. And we're hoping we can move some of those [in trades for players], along with free agency, to re-tool our franchise heading into next year." - When asked by a reporter if Francis had contemplated the Kraken's current record could lead to having the best odds to get the No. 1 pick in the NHL Draft Lottery, the always poised GM clearly and fiercely rejected the notion of "going for the highest pick" in the draft order. - Francis said "I don't ever go into [a season or stretch run of a season] thinking about getting the highest pick" rather than building a strong, never-quit culture, for which he thanked Giordano helping to anchor said culture with his dignity and toughness on and off the ice. - "You can look back at my record," said Francis, who is the foundational architect of a Carolina franchise that currently has the third-best record in the NHL and is a serious Stanley Cup contender. "We didn't do it in Carolina and we're not going to do it here."