National Hockey League Hall of Famer and former Hartford Whaler Ron Francis was named the first general manager of Seattle's forthcoming expansion team on Thursday, The Seattle Times reports.
The team was approved by the NHL's Board of Governors in December, and will begin playing in the 2021-2022 season. Francis received a multi-year contract with Seattle, according to ESPN.
Francis played 23 seasons in the NHL, and is second only to Wayne Gretzky in all-time career assists. Following his retirement in 2004, Francis was hired to direct operations for the Carolina Hurricanes and was later named general manager. He was then president of hockey operations until 2018.
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The new Seattle team is still unnamed, but Oak View Group, the new team's ownership group, registered 13 possible trademarks last year, including the Seattle Kraken, the Seattle Sockeyes, and the Seattle Evergreens. The name choice, which Francis will be able to give input on, is expected to be announced by the end of the year. To the dismay of few, the Whalers is not being considered.
The Seattle team, when it officially launches, will become the league's 32nd team, following the Las Vegas Golden Knights in 2017, who reached the Stanley Cup finals in their first season. Their entrance will cause a realignment of the league's divisions, with Seattle taking the Arizona Coyotes' place in the Pacific Division, and moving the Coyotes, who play in suburban Phoenix, to the Central Division. Together, the Central and Pacific Divisions make up the Western Conference, and the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions make up the Eastern Conference.
Francis tweeted that he was looking forward to "build[ing] an excellent franchise that will bring back the Stanley Cup!"
