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Penguins Bring Back Ron Francis for Front Office Role
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- Penguins Bring Back Ron Francis for Front Office Role
USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
Recently departed Seattle Kraken president of hockey operations Ron Francis is coming back to the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.
Last season, Francis, 63, was moved up to president of hockey operations after spending six years as the Seattle Kraken's first franchise general manager. However, rumors of diverging opinions on key matters between him and general manager Jason Botterill persisted, and in April, Francis announced he would step down as president.
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Friday, the Penguins announced Francis would rejoin the organization as Special Advisor, Hockey Operations to president of hockey operations/GM Kyle Dubas. With the Penguins, Francis won two Stanley Cups (1991, 1992) as a player and served as captain following Mario Lemieux's retirement for the 1997-98 season.
Francis played for the Penguins from 1991 through the '98 season.
According to the Penguins' press release, Francis will be involved in improving the organization's front office operations:
Francis will assist the Penguins' hockey operations leadership group with strategic planning, roster construction and optimization of all internal systems and processes to help further implement best practices within the organization. Francis will provide expertise and counsel during key events during the season including training camp, the NHL Draft, trade deadline and free agency, while also supporting the Club's minor league operations and Player Development staff.
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"Ron has a deep affinity for the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins. He cherishes his time spent here as a player where he had tremendous success and is an outstanding ambassador for the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh," said Dubas. "Ron's playing experience, management experience, and familiarity with the Penguins and Pittsburgh will be a great benefit to our organization and all members of our management team. We look forward to having a person of Ron's experience and character in our front office as we continue to work to build the Penguins back into a perennial Stanley Cup contender."
Francis served as Seattle's GM from expansion through the 2024-25 season. Prior to his time in Seattle, he served as the Carolina Hurricanes ' GM from 2014 to 2018.
The post Penguins Bring Back Ron Francis for Front Office Role appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now .
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