Podcast: View from Seattle on challenges Penguins legend Ron Francis will face as GM

Tim Benz
Wednesday, July 24, 2019 7:10 a.m. | Wednesday, July 24, 2019 7:10 a.m.

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Associated Press.

In this May 5, 2014, file photo, Ron Francis, at the time the general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, takes questions from members of the media during a news conference in Raleigh, N.C. Seattle’s NHL expansion team is close to an agreement with Francis to become its first general manager, a person with direct knowledge tells The Associated Press.

Seattle is getting an expansion NHL franchise.

And they are getting a Penguins legend to run it.

Hall of Famer Ron Francis is getting a second crack at being a general manager. This time it’ll be in the Pacific Northwest for the yet-to-be-named expansion team.

Francis went 0 for 4 in his attempts to reach the playoffs as the Carolina Hurricanes GM. But some financial restrictions and ownership interference may have played a role there. The new management in Seattle certainly seems to think so.

The Seattle team will start play in the 2021-22 season. So the two-time Stanley Cup champion has some time to ramp up.

A former colleague of mine, Ian Furness of Sports Radio KJR in Seattle, joined me to discuss the hire. We connected with him on 105.9 the X last week when I was sitting in for Mark Madden. So I thought I’d replay some of the highlights for you here.

Not only do we talk about the Francis decision, but we also discuss the state of the team’s arena, the plans to market the club and how the idea of hockey is being embraced in Seattle.

Although, I get the impression he is not on board with my endorsement of the nickname “Krakens” for the new franchise.

LISTEN: View from Seattle on challenges Ron Francis will face

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.