Pittsburgh Penguins GM Kyle Dubas added Hockey Hall of Famer Ron Francis to their front office hockey operations staff in a special advisor role. The big announcement from him came on Friday, June 19, and he followed it up by outlining the Stanley Cup goals of the Penguins.

Dubas, who is also the president of hockey operations at the Penguins, opened up about the reason for bringing Francis on board. Firstly, he alluded to the longstanding relationship of Francis with the franchise and city of Pittsburgh, which began during his successful time as a player in the 1990s.

“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,” Dubas said via NHL.com.

“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.”

It is understood that Francis will have an extensive role as the special advisor to the Penguins. He will assist their hockey operations leadership group on strategic plans and roster construction first and foremost.

The 63-year-old will share his expertise and counsel the front office on team training and player acquisition. He is also going to support their minor league team and its staff, too.

Hiring Francis as a special advisor makes sense for the Penguins due to his 20 years of experience working in front offices and coaching staffs across various NHL teams.

Recently, Francis was the president of hockey operations at the Seattle Kraken earlier this year. He was promoted to the role last year after serving them as their first GM in history from 2019 to 2025.

During his tenure in 2022-23, Kraken made the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time after registering 100 points with a (46-28-8) record for fourth place in the Pacific Division.

Before that, Francis worked with the Carolina Hurricanes for 12 years after they won their first Stanley Cup in 2006. He took many different roles at the Hurricanes, which included executive vice president, general manager, director of hockey operations, and player personnel, among others.

Francis had a key part in setting them up on a path of success before his departure in 2018.

Ron Francis’ NHL playing career—A look back

Ex-Canadian player Ron Francis was a center for 23 years in the NHL after the Hartford Whalers picked him 4th overall in the draft in 1981.

Francis started his league career with the Whalers in 1982 before rejoining them in 1998 when they were rebranded as the Carolina Hurricanes. His two Stanley Cup titles came in 1991 and 1992 during the start of his stint at the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He ended his elongated stay in the NHL after joining the Toronto Maple Leafs for a brief period in 2004 following his departure from the Hurricanes.

During his 1,731 appearances in the regular season, Francis scored a whopping 1,798 points with 549 goals and 1,249 assists. He is still in fifth position in the all-time list of most points scored in the NHL behind Wayne Gretzky, Jaromir Jagr, Mark Messier, and Gordie Howe.

In 171 playoff games, he registered 143 points (46G / 97A) to his name. Some of his awards include the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 1995, the King Clancy Trophy in 2002, and three Lady Byng Memorial Trophies in 1995, 1998, and 2002.

The Penguins inducted Francis into their Hall of Fame in the Class of 2025.

Will Ron Francis make a telling difference on the Pittsburgh Penguins in the next few seasons? Tell us your thoughts in the comments.

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Written by

Arjun Sharma

Edited by

Ankita Yadav