An ex-Kraken, a returning Kraken, and a Kraken wannabe.
Recent Seattle president of hockey operations and former general manager Ron Francis signed on with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a senior advisor this past week. Francis won two Stanley Cups as a center with the club back in 1991 and 1992. He’s the fifth all-time leading scorer in NHL history with 1,798 points.
It appears a fellow Penguins center will be the one to bump Francis down to sixth all-time. Sidney Crosby enters next season just 37 points behind the 63-year-old. Sid the kid will first hop past Hall of Famer Marcel Dionne, whom Crosby trails by just ten points.
Francis found limited success in his tenure with the expansion Kraken. The club made the playoffs once, 2022-’23, in his five seasons as an executive in Seattle.
Schultzy
Former Kraken defenseman Justin Schultz, a key acquisition for that same Penguins organization leading up to their back-to-back Cups in 2016 and 2017, returns to Seattle next season to serve as a player development coach.
Schultz tallied 60 points in 143 games for Seattle over two seasons. He posted 10 points during the club’s 14-game playoff run in 2023.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do, to help players try to get to the next level,” Schultz said in a press statement this week. “I loved my time in Seattle. I’m excited to get to work with these prospects.”
He retired from his playing career in 2024 after 12 NHL seasons and an eight game stint in the Swiss pro league.
More Morrison
Coming off a season that saw him lead the Kraken’s AHL affiliate Coachella Valley Firebirds in scoring with 61 points, 23-year-old centerman Logan Morrison inked a one-year contract extension with the franchise on Thursday.
Signed as an undrafted free agent out of the Ontario Hockey League in 2023, Morrison has played four game for the big club. He was pointless in that brief stint during the 2023′-24 season.
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