The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that they terminated the contract of Ron Francis.

The Carolina Hurricanes have terminated the contract of Ron Francis. https://t.co/0eGH0fuZfd

— Carolina Hurricanes (@Canes) April 30, 2018

Hurricanes Terminate Francis’ Contract

The Carolina Hurricanes have announced that they have terminated the contract of Ron Francis. In early March the Hurricanes named Francis the President of Hockey Operations after relieving him of his general manager duties. This season, The Hurricanes finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 36-35-11. In the three-plus seasons with Francis as general manager, the Canes went 130-130-53 and failed to make the playoffs in all three seasons.

Francis made a few moves that didn’t pan out during his three years as general manager. He signed Goaltender Scott Darling to a four-year, $16 Million dollar contract which included a modified no-trade clause. Darling was 13-21-7 this year with a 3.18 GAA and sub.900 SV% in 43 games.  He also signed forward Victor Rask to a six-year $24 Million contract. Rask had 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 71 games this year. Rask underwent shoulder surgery at the end of the year.

What This Means for the Future

The Hurricanes are currently in the process of revamping their front office. The Hurricanes essentially fired Francis in early March when they relieved him of his duties as general manager and named him president of hockey operations. They also just announced Dean Waddell will continue to serve as their GM 

The Hurricanes will look to rebuild around their young forwards like Sebastian Aho and Teuvo Teravainen. The Canes also have a young defensive core with Jaccob Slavin, Noah Hanifin, Justin Faulk, and Brett Pesce. They also hold the second pick in the 2018 NHL Draft and are expected to take right winger Andrei Svechnikov with the second overall pick according to Ben Kerr’s 2018 NHL Mock Draft.

The Hurricanes also announced that Joe Nieuwendyk has resigned from his position as pro scout and advisor. Nieuwendyk was a former General Manager of the Dallas Stars.

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