Ron Francis has a marvelous history with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
A vital member of the franchise’s first two Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992, Francis is one of the greatest players to ever wear a Penguins jersey. Heck, he even wore a C on his jersey when he aptly replaced the irreplaceable Mario Lemieux, as captain.
But he has a deeper, perhaps more profound history with Kyle Dubas, the Penguins’ president of hockey operations.
That connection goes back before either of them was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
“My mother, who is almost 91, was in Kyle’s grandfather and grandmother’s wedding party,” Francis said. “Kyle’s grandfather coached me when I was 9 and 10 years old playing hockey. Played against his dad growing up.”
So when Francis became available as a free agent executive this spring, Dubas reconnected and hired Francis as a senior advisor of hockey operations on June 19.
In his first duties with his new gig, Francis participated in the Penguins’ operations for the NHL Draft this past weekend from the team’s temporary headquarters at the U.S. Steel Tower.
He’ll be around through the next week for the team’s prospect camp, then have a presence in late summer for the team’s activities going into the 2026-27 season.
“(Dubas) said he wanted me in town for the draft, he wanted me around for development camp, he’d like me to be at the rookie tournament and training camp,” Francis said. “And then as the season goes along, it’s spending time here in Pittsburgh with the big team, Wilkes-Barre and maybe getting around some of the prospects, as well. It sounds like he’s going to keep me fairly busy, which is good.”
Francis was fairly busy for the past seven years. Hired as the first general manager of the NHL’s most recent expansion franchise, the Seattle Kraken, Francis largely created that team from the ground up, overseeing basics such as the team’s remodeled arena and roster construction, though some of those endeavors were disrupted considerably in 2020 by the pandemic.
“To have the opportunity to build something from the ground up, we basically built a new arena, designed the locker room, practice facility, all that kind of stuff,” Francis said of crafting the Kraken. “Another rink in Palm Springs (Calif.) for the minor-league team. At one point, I had all kinds of tiles and carpet and paint samples in my office. It’s an exciting thing to go through.”
Success on the ice was limited, however, as the Kraken have only reached the postseason once in five seasons since the franchise began play in 2021-22.
After becoming the team’s president of hockey operations during the 2025 offseason, Francis and the Kraken mutually parted ways this past April.
The Kraken are typically measured against the Vegas Golden Knights, who entered the NHL in 2017 and have enjoyed immense success, including three Stanley Cup Final appearances and one championship in that franchise’s first nine seasons.
“Obviously, tough first year,” Francis said. “We had a real good second year. And then before last year, changed over to (current general manager Jason Botterill). It was a great experience. It was a little different from the Vegas (expansion draft), obviously. I think (NHL executives) had go through it once, had four years to prepare for us and we took a little bit different of an approach from Vegas. It was going to be drafting and developing a little bit longer plan. But always wish you had more success if you can get it.”
Francis previously served as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes for four years before being fired in 2018. That almost led to him joining Dubas, then the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
“Kyle and I have known each other probably his whole life,” Francis said. “We had an opportunity when I got let go in Carolina. I was looking at joining him in Toronto. He got let go in Toronto (in 2023), I was trying to bring him to Seattle and then he (was hired by the Penguins). It finally worked out that we could work together.
“As I said to him when he called, it was important for me. I know him, I know he’s a man of integrity, I know he’s a man of honesty and that was important to me when I took this position.”
Francis will always have a position of esteem with the Penguins. A dominant center who offered a thoroughly complete game that eventually led to him being enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2007, Francis was also inducted into the Penguins Hall of Fame last fall.
Many of Francis’ teammates from the Penguins’ first great era in the 1990s are still members of the club in off-ice capacities, including Lemieux, now a minority investor in the franchise.
“I got a text from Mario, (broadcaster Phil Bourque) and a bunch of different players,” Francis said. “I see (scout Kevin Stevens) around the rink and stuff. I was here a couple years ago for (Jaromir Jagr’s jersey retirement) and we all went to dinner, Mario, Jay (Caufield), Ulf Samuelsson was in town, myself and our wives, it was like we hadn’t missed a beat. It was like we were back in the early 90s. Everybody laughing, smiling and having a good time.
“Those were special years in my life. Having those guys around the organization and part of it just makes it a lot easier for me to come back and transition into my role here.”
Francis is clearly happy to have a new gig with a lot of familiarity already present.
“I got off the plane and, catching a ride into town, it kind of felt like I was coming home,” Francis said. “I’ve had a lot of people see me on the street, shake my hand and welcome me back to Pittsburgh, which is always really gratifying. It was a fun part of my career here. We had a lot of success, a lot of good memories and I’ve always had a soft spot for the people of Pittsburgh and the fans of the Penguins.
“It’s great to be back as part of the organization.”