**BREAKING NEWS** Seattle Finds Their GM

      Photo by Gregg Forwerck/Getty Images

Ron Francis, 56, spent twenty-two very successful seasons in the NHL, playing for the Whalers, Penguins, and Hurricanes. Amassing 1,798 points and two Stanley Cups, Francis brings a championship pedigree to the brand new team in Seattle. Responsible for drafting the likes of Noah Hanifan, Sebastian Aho, Martin Necas and Alex Nedeljkovic, Francis has found success through the draft as well.

While no specifics have been made public on the terms of the signing, we can venture a guess that there will likely be a 5-year deal. Giving him two years to build the team and three to guide the team, Francis should have a nice home in the Pacific Northwest for the time being.

The comparisons to George McPhee and the Vegas Golden Knights will be abundant. Francis has a tough act to follow, but we need to temper expectations. What McPhee was able to create was a masterpiece for that first season, but you can see that it came at a cost. Vegas is in salary cap hell at the moment and need to make a couple more moves to get compliant. Francis, on the other hand, played it a little safer over his tenure with Carolina. He didn’t make bad trades and only one “terrible” signing comes to mind, Scott Darling. Nonetheless, he is a very smart GM and has an eye for talent.

In the end, Seattle made the right decision. Francis has the experience to build a team from the ground floor. As well as the contacts needed to build a productive staff and create a successful new franchise.

Discuss this breaking news story on the Overtime Heroics Forums!