Ron Francis’ future.

[Fistfullofbeer]

problem is its not going to make things better very very quickly, it has better odds that things get worse. Like getting rid of our top prospects to the point we have nothing great in the prospect pool, to having a lot of dead weigh to make it even more difficult to even improve the team...

I agree with you about things not getting better quickly. But what I was trying to say is that Francis has put us in the position we are in. For a team playing the way we are, you would think we are a borderline tanking team. But we are a team spending to the cap with lots of long-term contracts for players in their late 20s or early 30s.

I also don't think its "fair" for Francis in the sense "IF" his timeline was accelerated by management. But at the end of the day, that's his job. The direction of the team right now is not that of an expansion team or that of a competitive team.

 

[The Marquis]

I agree with you about things not getting better quickly. But what I was trying to say is that Francis has put us in the position we are in. For a team playing the way we are, you would think we are a borderline tanking team. But we are a team spending to the cap with lots of long-term contracts for players in their late 20s or early 30s.

I also don't think its "fair" for Francis in the sense "IF" his timeline was accelerated by management. But at the end of the day, that's his job. The direction of the team right now is not that of an expansion team or that of a competitive team.

Feels like the Sabres to me.

 

[Kevinsane]

Surprised y’all even still try to talk to that guy. Argues with literally everything everyone says and never ever admits he’s wrong. Saw him get absolutely clowned on the main board over something incorrect he said about Kovalchuks contract, and kept right on talking like it didn’t even happen. Blocked him not long thereafter.

I assume he’s irrationally arguing that we should somehow just keep Francis even though he’s doing an objectively lousy job because firing him would somehow make things even worse? As if that makes any sense?

He completely missed the point of my original post, too. I was in no way arguing FOR trading away youth or prospects, just pointing out that GMs who start to think they may be in danger of losing their jobs often mortgage the future to try and stay employed, something absolutely nobody wants to see happen to the Kraken. So, if it might, Francis needs to go. If it might not, great, but where’s the improvement and what’s the articulated plan for growth and success?

 

[Fuhrious]

He completely missed the point of my original post, too. I was in no way arguing FOR trading away youth or prospects, just pointing out that GMs who start to think they may be in danger of losing their jobs often mortgage the future to try and stay employed, something absolutely nobody wants to see happen to the Kraken. So, if it might, Francis needs to go. If it might not, great, but where’s the improvement and what’s the articulated plan for growth and success?

I took your meaning in the point, but didn't have a lot to add as while I don't think there's a crazy high chance Francis does that (partly because he never does _anything_) there certainly isn't a non-zero chance. Look no further than the former Arizona Coyotes trading a 1st and a bunch of prospects (the one I remember off the top of my head being current Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl) for a partial season of Taylor Hall. It can and does happen.

Dude would literally argue with you that water isn't wet. Place is light years better with him blocked, just talking to you, RCH, Marquis, Fistfull, et al.

 

[Kevinsane]

I took your meaning in the point, but didn't have a lot to add as while I don't think there's a crazy high chance Francis does that (partly because he never does _anything_) there certainly isn't a non-zero chance. Look no further than the former Arizona Coyotes trading a 1st and a bunch of prospects (the one I remember off the top of my head being current Flames defenseman Kevin Bahl) for a partial season of Taylor Hall. It can and does happen.

Dude would literally argue with you that water isn't wet. Place is light years better with him blocked, just talking to you, RCH, Marquis, Fistfull, et al.

I concur. We have a great group of regulars that make this forum a welcoming place to discuss the Kraken because, while we all want to see the team succeed, we can see and acknowledge that it’s not.
Sports isn’t personal. Hakstol seemed like a nice man. Bylsma and Francis seem like nice men, so too Grubauer. The game, though, is performance based. They’re simply not performing, hence the collective cries for change or at worst a stated plan to better succeed. In the absence of one, we’re absolutely going to air our frustrations. To argue that everything’s fine because it could be worse adds nothing to the conversation.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Dude would literally argue with you that water isn't wet. Place is light years better with him blocked, just talking to you, RCH, Marquis, Fistfull, et al.

Just coming from the main board, I commended Kraken on a hard-fought win against the Flames and said this would have likely been a loss with Grubauer in goal (why I think that requires no further evidence, I thought). He popped up out of nowhere telling me I don't know that for sure and that the only goal Daccord allowed that night was his mistake. So yeah, strange character.

 

[Scomerica]

It feels like he is just the wrong gm for now. Either ownership backs down and accepts its going to take time under him which may never come or we get a gm in that is prepared to take Vegas style risks to accumulate players and capital by wheeling and dealing. We're stuck in mediocrity right now, pretty much the worst place to be.

Someone mentioned about gourde. Probably the exact player you try get something on yet there's talk we are trying to extend him. Why? He's not getting any younger. You have guys like winterton, Morrison and some others ready for more game time and experience. It serves no benefit other than a gm getting desperate.

I'm glad ownership want to be ambitious and prepared to spend but it feels like they have backed the wrong horse and all we are doing is getting stuck with expensive contracts and no cap space (and not being any better for it)

 

[Fuhrious]

It feels like he is just the wrong gm for now. Either ownership backs down and accepts its going to take time under him which may never come or we get a gm in that is prepared to take Vegas style risks to accumulate players and capital by wheeling and dealing. We're stuck in mediocrity right now, pretty much the worst place to be.

Someone mentioned about gourde. Probably the exact player you try get something on yet there's talk we are trying to extend him. Why? He's not getting any younger. You have guys like winterton, Morrison and some others ready for more game time and experience. It serves no benefit other than a gm getting desperate.

I'm glad ownership want to be ambitious and prepared to spend but it feels like they have backed the wrong horse and all we are doing is getting stuck with expensive contracts and no cap space (and not being any better for it)

I’m getting absolutely skewered on BlueSky for saying the stuff we’re all saying here, presumably by people who are just fans for the good vibes…so it’s ramped up my cynicism a bit more than usual. My initial reaction to this was to reply “apparently the team thinks it’s more important to re-sign Gourde so they can post pictures of his family at a pumpkin patch on social media, than they care about fielding competitive hockey teams”.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

I’m getting absolutely skewered on BlueSky for saying the stuff we’re all saying here, presumably by people who are just fans for the good vibes…so it’s ramped up my cynicism a bit more than usual. My initial reaction to this was to reply “apparently the team thinks it’s more important to re-sign Gourde so they can post pictures of his family at a pumpkin patch on social media, than they care about fielding competitive hockey teams”.

I don't bother having discussions on Reddit or X/Bluesky because most people posting there are not as knowledgeable about hockey as HFBoards.

Some people hate hearing anything negative about the team, but you ask the same people how to improve it, and they will have no answer. It's like they expect things to fix themselves magically. Generally, those are the same kind of people who would want Gourde and Tanev re-signed and have no idea on how cap logistics work.

Don't waste your time there.

 

[Fuhrious]

I don't bother having discussions on Reddit or X/Bluesky because most people posting there are not as knowledgeable about hockey as HFBoards.

Some people hate hearing anything negative about the team, but you ask the same people how to improve it, and they will have no answer. It's like they expect things to fix themselves magically. Generally, those are the same kind of people who would want Gourde and Tanev re-signed and have no idea on how cap logistics work.

Don't waste your time there.

Yeah I think you’re right. It started this morning getting called an “emotionally stunted sports bro” by some woman who was mad that I was complaining about Grubauer, going on to say “he’s a nice guy and some of us just like him”.


That should probably have been my cue to exit.

 

[Fistfullofbeer]

Yeah I think you’re right. It started this morning getting called an “emotionally stunted sports bro” by some woman who was mad that I was complaining about Grubauer, going on to say “he’s a nice guy and some of us just like him”.


That should probably have been my cue to exit.

Ha ha. Yes. People who take criticism about players as personal affronts to themselves are definitely not worth having discussions with.