The Pittsburgh Penguins announced on Friday that they have brought back franchise legend Ron Francis as a member of the team’s front office.
Francis played in Pittsburgh from 1990 to 1998 and won two Stanley Cups with the team in 1991 and 1992.
After serving as the general manager and president of the Seattle Kraken since its inception as an expansion franchise in 2021, Francis stepped down from his position at the end of this season.
But now he’s back in the game just a few months later, and he’ll return to Pittsburgh, a city where he achieved great success as a player during his Hockey Hall of Fame career. It’s a good move for Pittsburgh, which will add another highly respected voice to the team’s front office,
Penguins Statement on Ron Francis
Penguins president of hockey operations and general manager Kyle Dubas issued a statement regarding the team bringing back Francis as a special advisor.
“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. 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,” Dubas said.
Pittsburgh Penguins Took Big Leap This Past Season
Heading into this past year, the Penguins were not expected to be good. But the team took a huge leap forward by making the playoffs when they were not expected to do so.
Under new, first-year head coach Dan Muse, the Penguins showed massive improvements in all areas of the game. Captain Sidney Crosby had another great season, alternate captain Evgeni Malkin was solid when healthy, and defenseman Erik Karlsson had a bounce-back season. Plus, the team’s young players took a big step forward. So, overall, it was a very successful year for the Penguins, even though they did lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round of the playoffs.
By adding Francis to the team’s front office, the hope will be that the NHL legend will bring his experience and knowledge of the game to the team and help them take an even bigger step forward next year and win a playoff series,
With Crosby entering the twilight of his NHL career, the Penguins need to win now, and bringing in someone like Francis, who has been around the game for so many years, is a good move for the Penguins.
Dubas has done a fantastic job for the Penguins since he left the Toronto Maple Leafs, but everyone can use help, and everyone can use another trusted voice in their ear.
By adding Francis to Pittsburgh’s front office, the hope is that the Penguins will continue to show improvements next season in their second year with Muse behind the bench, as they try to win another Stanley Cup before Crosby and Malkin retire.
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