From the Front Office: A Q&A with Ron Francis 

It was a challenging start for the Kraken. But now they're pushing for a playoff spot. What are the ingredients that you've seen in this team that have helped them find that success?

Well, I think it's the same thing we've seen last year, right? They love to compete. They love to work hard for each other. I think when you're willing to sacrifice and do that, then you find a way to have success and certainly it was a challenging start. 

We still haven't played one game with the roster we were going to start the season with, and we're well into the season at this point. We lost a bunch of guys there in a hurry and just couldn't find our footing. We went through a tough stretch of 0-6-2 and, in probably three or four of those games I felt we probably deserved a better fate. We didn't get it. Then we found our footing and started winning some hockey games and now we're starting to get some bodies back which is good.

This has been a fun little run. And, hopefully, they can keep going in that direction moving forward, for sure.

Even with injuries, this has continued to be a deep team - with four lines rolling. How valuable is that? Not every team can boast the kind of depth and the way that depth works together like the Kraken.

I think that was part of our challenge earlier when we were banged up, right? You don't get to show that off. We think (our depth) is a strength of the team and we weren't able to ice that lineup. And now we're getting production on the back end too, which is exciting. That was a big reason for our success last year, and it looks like it's starting to happen again, which is good to see.

One of the things that Dave Hakstol has talked about is that there's more emphasis on defensive play this year and not being too "loose." Have you seen a different wrinkle in the identity of this group defensively?

Yes, I think when you're looking at your team, and especially in the midst of an 0-6-2 (streak), you're trying to find "what can we change? What can we do to give (the team) something?" And that was a little tweak. I think that what Dave and the staff did was to try and tighten things up a little bit.

We're still giving up some chances. It's a good league, teams are going to create and generate things...that's going to happen, but I don't think we're giving up maybe as much as we had in the past and when we do, our goaltending has been good and it's a good recipe when you can limit chances (against) and the ones you do (allow) get stopped. Then you find a way to score some goals - that's usually a good recipe for success.

Speaking of that, Joey Daccord continues to play at an impressive level. Is this what you thought he would be in net or has he even surpassed your expectations this season?

He's had a couple of really good years in Coachella Valley and last year came within an overtime Game Seven of being part of a Calder Cup championship team. (When) we had to make the decision last summer (signing Daccord and letting Martin Jones go), we envisioned "Grubi" (Philipp Grubauer) and Joey sharing the net and giving us a great goaltender tandem that can be successful.

Unfortunately, Grubi got banged up and Joey's had to carry the load here, but it's gone well. We also know that, at some point, getting Grubi back is going to be important to our success over the remainder of the season. It's been really good to see for Joey and good for our team as well.

Another young player who’s had some time with the Kraken is Ryker Evans. What’s to like about what he’s telling you right now in terms of his development on the ice?

He really came a long way last year start to finish -- making the (AHL) All-Star team last year and making the end of the year All-Rookie team. Probably, he was disappointed out of the gate when we sent him back down (to the AHL at the start of this season), But he went down with the right attitude and continued to work and we called him up in December right around when things started to change. And he was part of that.

The key with Ryker is that we want him playing. Right now, our six D (on the NHL roster) are playing and playing well, we're having success, and (Evans) can't get in. So we're trying to find (that playing time for him), whether that's an opportunity to get in here or if not, then returning to Coachella and letting him continue to play so that when we have a need, he can pop in and (play).

But he certainly showed us that he's capable of playing at this level, and that's a bright spot in our future for the organization for sure.

Let's talk about Oliver Bjorkstrand. He gets the NHL All-Star nod this season for the Kraken. What makes him deserving of that honor this year and what have you liked about how he has performed this season so far?

Well, I just think if you look at his overall game, he's a very smart player. There's a lot of little things that maybe the average fan doesn't pick up. Whether it's puck possession; whether it's how he manages the puck in tight quarters; or (being in) the right spot making the right decision. Whether it's getting a shot through to the net or making a play for one of his teammates or a good defensive play. He's got a solid 200-foot game. And that line has been pretty consistent for us since we put it together last year with (Eeli) Tolvanen and Yanni (Gourde) and him. It's good to see him having success, and we're happy for him to get that nod.

We’re coming off the excitement of the Winter Classic. Outside of getting the important two points in the win over Vegas, what are your takeaways from such a successful weekend?

I thought everything was incredible. I retired in 2004, and (the Winter Classic) was the first time I really missed playing. I was walking around before the game thinking "Man, this is one I'd really like to be in for." You have 47,313 people in attendance and most of the time, when you look at a lot of those events, the crowd is about 60% home team and 40% road team. In our case, it seemed like it was 46,000 Kraken fans, which was cool to see. The fact that you filled that stadium and you filled it with Kraken fans was just a huge day for our players and our organization to see. When we scored the first goal and we went into our goal song and 47,000 people were screaming along with it, I thought that was one of the coolest moments of the day.

It couldn't have been any better, weather-wise, attendance-wise. And, at the end of the day, we got the two points, which is always critical. It was a great day.

Shifting to the rest of the season, we’re at the halfway point. How do you assess your group and what work lies ahead for both the players on the ice and for you and your team as you decide how to navigate the balance of the season?

Yeah, we're getting to that point where pretty much all the teams are in similar situations the next few weeks and we're no different. We'll have amateur meetings and then pro meetings to assess where the team is at, what their needs are, and what might be available out there.

If there's certain areas we think we can help the team as we move into the stretch and push for a playoff spot, then we'll certainly look to do those for sure.

As you go through a season or even where the group is right now, how do you interact with Dave Hakstol and the coaching staff? How does that relationship work together to keep the team where it needs to be?

“Hak” and I probably talk pretty much every day. There aren't many days we don't talk.

That communication is always open. I'm constantly talking to my staff whether it be the assistant GMs, the director of pro scouting, director of amateur scouting, the director of player development, we're all in communication as to each department and what we like and what we need to improve on. And that all factors into the big picture. In all of those discussions, you try and gather as much information as you can and, when it's time to make the final decision, we make that and hopefully it works for the benefit of the team, our fans, and the organization moving forward.

What can you share with us about the team in Coachella Valley (19-11-3, 4th in the Pacific Division) beyond the wins, losses, and what we see on the stat sheet?

Probably the biggest thing I think is that we were one of the oldest teams in the league last year, maybe top three oldest teams in the league. This year, we're one of the younger teams. (We have) a lot of young players. It's a very good league and you start throwing 19, 20, 21-year-old kids into that league and it's challenging.

So the fact that they've not only been able to tread water, but excel has been exciting for us to watch. And, we expect that as things move forward here, certainly in February and March that we'll even see another level from a lot of those players. From our standpoint, on one hand, we're excited we have the depth that, if we need to, we can call players up, and then two, we're also excited about our youth and the steps that they're making moving forward because ultimately, they want to be wearing a Kraken jersey and we'd love to see them wearing a Kraken Jersey as well.

Any final thoughts that are important to share with our readers?

(The NHL) is a really good League. I think on any given night, you have a chance to win, you have a chance to lose. During the 0-6-2 streak, there were probably three or four games we probably should have won. And during the winning streak, there might be a few maybe we didn't deserve to win, but we did. It's exciting for the fans, It's exciting for everybody else. (Joking tone) It's tough for our coaches and the GM. But it’s the job we signed up for!

This transcript was lightly edited for brevity and clarity

READ | Part 2: A Q&A with the Kraken’s Scouting Directors

READ | Part 3: A Q&A with Dave Hakstol

READ | Part 4: A Q&A with Ricky Olczyk