The Pittsburgh Penguins hired Ron Francis as a Special Advisor in their Hockey Operations department, Pro Hockey Rumors reported Friday, citing a team announcement.
The move brings Francis back to an NHL organization where he has a long history. Pittsburgh acquired him during the 1990-91 trade deadline, and he helped the Penguins win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Francis Returns To Penguins Operations
Francis is not taking over the Penguins front office. PHR described the role as an advisory position that gives him input in hockey operations, rather than final control of the department.
He most recently worked with the Seattle Kraken, where he had been general manager from the expansion club's first season before later serving as president of hockey operations. Francis said in early April that he would step down from that Kraken role at the end of the 2025-26 season.
Before Seattle, Francis spent more than a decade with the Carolina Hurricanes, primarily as general manager and director of hockey operations. One of the draft decisions tied to that tenure was selecting Sebastian Aho with the 35th overall pick in 2015.
Pittsburgh Adds Veteran Front-Office Voice
The Penguins are adding a senior executive voice without changing the top of the hockey operations structure. Francis brings experience from an expansion build in Seattle, a long management stretch in Carolina and a playing history with Pittsburgh's early-1990s championship teams.
The hire is a club-operations move more than a roster move, but it still matters for Pittsburgh's planning calendar. Advisory roles can touch scouting, roster evaluation and internal decision-making, and Francis arrives with experience across all three areas.
For Francis, the position keeps him in an NHL front office after leaving Seattle. For the Penguins, it reconnects the organization with a former championship player who has since spent years on the management side of the league.