SEATTLE (AP) — By his second season as CEO of the Kraken, Tod Leiweke had witnessed firsthand just how impactful a successful team can be for the city of Seattle.
The Kraken not only qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs in their second year of existence, the 2022-23 season, but they also advanced to the second round, in which they lost to the Dallas Stars in seven games. Leiweke joked Thursday that some oblivious fans left a handful of those home playoff games after the second intermission, unaware that hockey didn’t feature solely a halftime like basketball or football games.
“We saw the potential in year two,” Leiweke said. “It was incredible.”
That was as much fooling around as Leiweke engaged in, though, a day removed from the Kraken announcing that Ron Francis will step down as president of hockey operations at the end of the season.
“One of the lousy parts of this job,” Leiweke said, “was a day like yesterday.”
Francis, 63, was promoted from his longtime role as general manager in April 2025, shortly after the Kraken fired coach Dan Bylsma. The Kraken said it was a mutual decision between the organization and Francis to part ways, and Leiweke added it would be a “fair assessment” to say the Hall of Famer was fatigued by his front office role.
“I think it was hard to take him from GM to president,” Leiweke said. “He’s such a respectful guy that he actually took a step back. I think that was an incredible decision for him. And, I think he realized that maybe this is the right time.”
When Francis was promoted, Jason Botterill was elevated to general manager and took over day-to-day responsibilities. Leiweke said Botterill’s decisions as general manager will now be “uniquely his,” and that the former Buffalo Sabres GM has identified some candidates to conduct an internal audit to uncover ways the Kraken can improve.
Entering Thursday night’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle was 32-34-11, had lost 10 of 11 games and was tied with the New York Rangers for the fourth-fewest points (75) in the NHL.
“It’s not acceptable,” Leiweke said, “and we’re committed to fixing it.”
It was one of a handful of times Leiweke referred to the 2025-26 season as falling short of expectations during his half-hour news conference.
On numerous occasions, Leiweke apologized to the fans of Seattle, a group whose passion for sports has in part led the NBA to consider expanding past its current 30-team footprint and explore the process of adding a franchise in the Emerald City.
“When I agonize over winning and losing, it’s really on behalf of the fans,” Leiweke said. “They deserve better.”
While the Kraken are nearing elimination from the playoffs, Leiweke is confident the team can improve — and quickly. Seattle is projected to have over $29 million in cap space this summer, per CapFriendly, and Leiweke would like Botterill to be at the helm of a “prolific” offseason when it comes to attracting free agents to the Pacific Northwest.
Since Seattle’s inception, the franchise has brought aboard proven commodities via free agency like forward Chandler Stephenson and defenseman Brandon Montour, each of whom are signed through the 2030-31 season. Otherwise, luring top talent to Seattle has proven a difficult endeavor, and the Kraken have relied on their prospects for reinforcements.
Seattle’s top minor league affiliate, the Coachella Valley Firebirds, have locked up a playoff spot in the American Hockey League and comprise one of the more heralded farm systems in the NHL.
From Leiweke’s perspective, the Kraken aren’t terribly far away from competing again for playoff spots. However, he would prefer for Seattle to be more than a fringe contender.
“What we want to build is not a team that just sneaks into the playoffs,” Leiweke said. “We think what we should be building here is a team that’s a perennial playoff team.”
Talk is cheap, though, when such a development has eluded the Kraken four of their first five years of existence. Leiweke might not view the franchise as a reclamation project, but half a decade of evidence would suggest otherwise.
If Seattle is to start competing with bellwether Western Conference franchises like the Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers, more changes may be necessary for a team that is already on its third head coach in five seasons.
“Something is out of alignment here,” Leiweke said, “and we’re going to get it fixed.”
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FILE - Seattle Kraken general manager Ron Francis speaks during an NHL hockey news conference, July 3, 2024, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Jason Redmond, File)
