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The Seattle Kraken elevated Hall of Famer Ron Francis to president of hockey operations on Tuesday and promoted Jason Botterill to executive vice president and general manager.

The move comes one day after Seattle fired head coach Dan Bylsma following one season on the job. Botterill will lead the search for Bylsma’s replacement, per the team.

Francis, 62, was named the expansion Kraken’s first general manager in 2019 after spending time as an executive with the Carolina Hurricanes.

“In the league today, there are a lot more demands in the GM chair,” Francis said. “And teams that I’ve talked to about this, in their experience it is a stronger model with two guys working together and trying to get things right.”

Botterill, 48, served as the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres from 2017-20. He was an assistant with the Kraken during the first four seasons of the franchise’s existence.

“I think what makes this a smooth transition is I’ve worked for the Kraken already, I know how we do things here and the people who make it happen,” Botterill said.

“So, it’s not like a case where I’m somebody new coming in and have to learn how everything works. I already know our players, our prospects, our staff and we can just get down to work right away without us missing a beat.”

Prior to his stint with the Sabres, Botterill won Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, 2016 and 2017 as a front-office representative.

–Field Level Media