Carolina Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon announced Tuesday that the team will move Ron Francis to President of Hockey Operations and the team will begin searching for a new general manager. According to the release from the Hurricanes, the new general manager will report directly to Dundon.
“Since I took control of the team, I’ve had a good chance to be around and assess the operations,” Dundon said in the team’s official release. “There are a lot of good people working in the organization, but I feel that a change in direction is needed when it comes to hockey personnel decisions. Ron is a smart and talented hockey man. I am glad that he will continue to be a part of the team, serving in this new role.”
Francis, after serving in a variety of roles in the Canes’ front office, including a stint behind the bench on Paul Maurice’s coaching staff from 2008-2011, was promoted to general manager in 2014. In three full seasons with Francis as GM, the Canes failed to qualify for the playoffs, and currently sit four points out of the Eastern Conference’s second wild card this year.
Francis also played parts of 16 seasons with the Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers franchise in his Hall of Fame playing career. After the Whalers traded him to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1991, Francis signed with the Hurricanes as a free agent prior to the 1998-99 season, a year after the franchise’s move to Carolina. Francis captained the Hurricanes to their first Stanley Cup Final appearance in 2002.