Just because the NHL can't release the Kraken until October doesn't mean Seattle wasn't in the mix at the trade deadline. That’s where we begin our second installment of looking back at “The Trade” of 1991 as Francis recalls the chain of events that eventually led to the Penguins’ big steal at the trade deadline. Toronto Maple Leafs acquire: Date: Carolina Hurricanes acquire: Ron Francis: March 9, 2004 Patrick acquired Ron Francis, … Posting comments is now limited to subscribers only. He was an indispensable force on the team while Lemieux missed time due to injury during the team’s second Stanley Cup run. They had allowed 5.60 goals per game in their five-game winless streak before the deal. We do not edit comments. That being the case, his trades were given a letter grade … He's our number one centerman. The Blackhawks’s trade of defenseman Madison Bowey to Vancouver means Chicago likely will leave blue-liner Calvin de Haan, 29, exposed to the Kraken. Many expected him to be traded because the Predators have ample good blue-liners that can’t all be protected in the expansion draft. “He signed me as a free-agent when I was young, the ripe age of 35,” Francis said. 1 overall draft pick and 2018 league MVP, had only two goals this season with the terrible Buffalo Sabres. Leading up to Monday's NHL trade deadline, Kraken general manager Ron Francis reportedly wanted a future first-round draft pick plus a prospect … And the team’s first Stanley Cup. Pending restricted free-agent forward Lucas Wallmark, 25, a former Francis draft pick in Carolina who was acquired Monday by Florida from Chicago in a multiplayer deal, also could be unprotected. They’d go 8-2-1 over the first 11 games after the trade, climbing from third place in the Patrick Division to first. All tweets could be reposted. Even before the Predators played their way back into playoff contention — making an Ekholm deal less likely — the Kraken-inflated cost for him was becoming prohibitive. Samuelsson and Jennings were around through most of 1995, at least long enough to see Cullen return to Pittsburgh for a year. We value thoughtful comments representing a range of views that make their point quickly and politely. ‘We’ll see what happens,’ says Pete Carroll. Support Local Journalism Bruins general manager Don Sweeney told the NHL Network on Monday that the Kraken was “paramount in a lot of our conversations” pre-deadline. Jennings did have some sympathy for the fans the trio left behind in Hartford. And when it came to deadline-month deals, Ekholm was a non-factor, and pending free agents such as Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno, David Savard and Kyle Palmieri took on starring roles as playoff rentals with a chance for more. And they did. EPARTRADE can connect you! Plus 77 more the next season contributing 102 total points in 109 regular-season games during his time in Hartford. So I said great, we’ll talk after the deadline. Cullen scored. Such players typically don’t cost as much in a trade because of the limited club control. We will make them as carefully and consistently as we can. Pittsburgh Penguins Hartford Reacts To Ron Francis Trade 3/9/91 “They did change for some teams. Earning $8 million this season, Hall wouldn’t come cheap if he revives his game. And if Hall stays in Boston, that’s one fewer player the Bruins can protect from Francis. Today, we look at the Penguins blockbuster trade with the Hartford Whalers which brought center defensemen Grant Jennings, Ulf Samuelsson and center Ron Francis to Pittsburgh in exchange for centers John Cullen, Jeff Parker and defenseman Zarley Zalapski, March 4, 1991. Francis recalls the atmosphere in the locker room between the second and third periods of that Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 against the Minnesota North Stars. After acquiring Ekholm, a team would have to protect him in the expansion draft. The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times. Before he does, he wants to know exactly who will be available when this season ends. He was team captain. But that was the decision management made. Unofficially though, Francis has discussed handshake side deals with teams that are considering which players to protect in July’s expansion draft. “You might pay a price to bring a player in, and then you’ve got an outgoing tax in Ronnie (Francis) and Seattle if you’re going to protect him,” Sweeney said. However, he didn’t offer Francis much money to make the transition. Geoff Baker covers hockey and is a sports enterprise and investigative reporter for The Seattle Times. Now, on that front, history may look back and agree. You give up a young puck-moving defenseman—which Hartford needed—in Zarley Zalapski and get the nasty, net-front defensive presence of Ulf Samuelsson. Francis would stay in Pittsburgh for 1992. “Rick Ley had some different kinds of relationships with different players. It was 6-0 at the time. Does he trade his star? And then for six more years beyond that, as he patched up his relationship with Johnston and played under him as a coach for four years. They had offense to spare. By 2006, Gordon was telling the Hartford Courant, “I consider the trade we made the worst trade in the history of hockey.”. It's an 8 part in-depth investigation about the history of the Hartford Whalers and their eminent demise. We’re up 6-0. General manager Ron Francis can’t finalize any transactions until ownership makes its final expansion payment to the league, but there’s precedent for him making a handshake deal or two. I felt sorry for them. There were 17 deals Monday compared with 32 on last year’s deadline day, and 14 of them involved players who’ll be unrestricted free agents this summer. But it was never the same for him there as it was in Pittsburgh. We appreciate it when readers and people quoted in articles or blog posts point out errors of fact or emphasis and will investigate all assertions. Most of the 30 or so deals the past week also involved pending free agents. “Every time we won a series and would go to the next level, it would make it look that much better for Pittsburgh and worse for Hartford,” Jennings said. “Pictures along the glass wishing me well. And he put together the best package to pry Francis out of Connecticut. While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderating decisions are subjective. Twenty years ago today, such a trade occurred. TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox. But what Francis didn’t have was a contract beyond the end of the year. The paper quoted the centerman as saying that Whalers general manager (and former Penguins GM) Eddie Johnston contacted him a few weeks before the deadline in an attempt to reopen negotiations. © 2021 Trib Total Media | All Rights Reserved. On March 4, 1991, Francis was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings, in exchange for John Cullen, Zarley Zalapski and Jeff Parker. Arguably the greatest goalie in NHL history, Patrick Roy, was traded … As Francis contributed 28 points in 38 total regular-season and playoff games in ‘91. He never made the highly-anticipated defenseman-for-forward trade … During that stretch, the Pens allowed just 2.36 goals per game. So, in the end, I guess Hartford’s Scott Farkas was right. “Ronny was such an icon, such a legend. “And then they traded me. A few things we won't tolerate: personal attacks, obscenity, vulgarity, profanity (including expletives and letters followed by dashes), commercial promotion, impersonations, incoherence, proselytizing and SHOUTING. “There are some similarities, but there are differences, too,” Francis said. The plan at the time of the trade was falling into place. General manager Ron Francis can’t finalize any transactions until ownership makes its final expansion payment to the league, but there’s precedent for him making a handshake deal or two. Pittsburgh Penguins center Ron Francis looks on during a game against the Montreal Candiens at the Forum in 1994. In this case, we may fix spelling and punctuation. Jul 30, 2010 at 4:02 PM The Whalers Monday night completed the biggest trade in their history when they sent Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and … Above all else, the biggest downfall of Ron Francis’ trade history is the move he didn’t make. So teams dealing for players with additional club control beyond this season would likely want to protect them. After holding that title with the Carolina Hurricanes (ironically, the team that used to be the Whalers), Francis is now the GM for the expansion Seattle Kraken. In addition, some teams got a jump Monday on keeping potential unrestricted free agents from the Kraken. Well, I’m pretty sure if I did that on the bus, I’d get suspended. The Deal That Helped Doom the Hartford Whalers: The 25th Anniversary of the Ron Francis Trade Before I begin, checkout Jeremiah Rufini's recent article entitled "Exile on Trumbull Street." Zalapski made the All-Star team in ‘93 and topped out with 65 points that season after a career-high 20 goals in ‘92. via e-mail. Hall, 29, a former No. For Johnston, they are usually “affable,” “ingratiating,” “friendly,” “outgoing” and “jovial.”, I often only hear only two words to describe Francis, “consummate gentleman.”. “You guys stole Ron Francis and Ulf,” grumbled the Whalers fan. “I think you just have a conversation with the guys and see where they’re at and what they’re thinking,” he said. Before ever meeting either Johnston or Francis, I heard lots of words to describe them. Ron Francis Just because the NHL can’t release the Kraken until October doesn’t mean Seattle wasn’t in the mix at the trade deadline. And you get an NHL-ready version on the blue line instead with mass and reach in Grant Jennings. But Francis is now on his second go-round as a general manager himself. As a youth, Francis played in the 1975 and 1976 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a minor ice hockey team from Sault Ste. (Mike Siegel / The Seattle Times), Seahawks take OT Stone Forsythe in the 6th round of the NFL draft, Full 2021 NFL draft coverage: Seahawks wrap smallest draft class ever on Day 3, move on to UDFAs, Seahawks take CB Tre Brown in the 4th round of the NFL draft, Seahawks UDFA tracker: Sumner’s Wedington among those reportedly signing with Seattle, Could Richard Sherman return to Seattle? So, for a lot of Penguins fans who are aware of Johnston’s and Francis’ individual reputations, the notion of static between the two men may be hard to picture. That, combined with the initial trade cost, equates to two first-rounders, plus multiple prospects for one-plus seasons of Ekholm. His name's Mario Lemieux. Mock Draft (Entry Draft Simulator) Then we talk about Seattle's final expansion payment and how its delay is… Avalanche Acquire Patrick Roy. Jim Rutherford not only signed Ron Francis to a free agent contract as a player in 1998 when Francis was a 35-year-old youngster, but Rutherford also gave Francis his entry in NHL management. “I remember being floored by the support of the fans,” Francis recalls. And they needed to get more defensive responsibility and toughness. ‘Keep the shifts short!’ Then the next cliche. But I bet he’s still ticked off about it. Ron Francis scores on a breakaway to make it 5-0 Penguins! The Philadelphia Flyers re-signed forward Scott Laughton, 26, to a five-year, $15 million deal, and the Los Angeles Kings signed forward Alex Iafallo, 27, to a four-year, $16 million extension. “It’s been complicated this year.”. Because of the volume of reader comments, we cannot review individual moderation decisions with readers. Francis estimates he spoke with most general managers in the deadline run-up. “You (expletive).”, I stammered back. In this episode of Kraken News, we talk about the recent reports that Ron Francis has been talking with teams heading into the NHL trade deadline about what it will take for teams to retain their deadline acquisitions in the expansion draft. The transaction remains the most significant in franchise history. Ron Francis was surprisingly moved out of the GM's chair in Carolina Wednesday night. My doubts were erased, though, when I got on the school bus while wearing a Penguins cap. You have to stand on your own two feet. You give up the size, grit and enforcement up front in minor league prospect Jeff Parker. And he seems to have a better grasp now on why things were so tense then. But he never quite lived up to his fourth overall draft-choice status or Olympic pedigree that he had coming into the league. History would look back and disagree. And Francis will calculate what, if possible, he can gain from teams hoping to pay him not to snatch away their future dreams. And that makes me smile. “I think GMs are looking at this and they know they’ve got expansion on the horizon, so that is going to be a consideration,” Francis told me after Monday’s noon deadline passed. If I had bad games, people would boo. “In retrospect, they were trying to do a lot of things to get me to say, ‘I want out.’ Which I didn’t,” Francis told me during Wednesday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast. Subban, 31, being exposed. The cost of doing anything more could have become too pricey with the Kraken looming. The Kraken will pick one player from each of the 30 teams in the expansion draft — Vegas is exempt — and clubs can protect only seven forwards, three defensemen and a goalie, or eight skaters overall and a goalie. It was … He’s still with the organization as a community relations liaison at the age of 85. Just because the NHL can’t release the Kraken until October doesn’t mean Seattle wasn’t in the mix at the trade deadline. Three games into their Penguins careers, the three ex-Whalers returned to Hartford with their new team for a road game. Get Ronny out of there.”. You can hear Tim Benz’s entire conversation with Ron Francis here. We’re going to be fine.’”. We welcome relevant reader comments on our sports stories on TribLIVE.com. Thursday night, at 9:15 p.m., Penguins fans will probably be gritting their teeth through the latter stages of yet another excruciatingly close Eastern Division game... Penguins beat Capitals but lose defenseman Mike Matheson, Penguins notes: Forward Evgeni Malkin remains sidelined, Minor league report: Penguins beaten by Bears in overtime, Penguins to start goaltender Tristan Jarry in rematch with Capitals, Western Pennsylvania's trusted news source. He appeared to be well-liked by the other players. “Looking back, I can’t point the finger directly back at E.J. Just because the NHL can't release the Kraken until October doesn't mean Seattle wasn't in the mix at the trade deadline. Just because the NHL can't release the Kraken until October doesn't mean Seattle wasn't in the mix at the trade deadline. Some teams undoubtedly acquired players as playoff rentals with an eye on exposing them in the draft to protect other assets. “I remember standing on the bench watching the clock wind down the final seconds,” Francis continued. They failed to win any of their final seven games. We follow the same standards for taste as the daily newspaper. By all accounts, it was a busy lead-up to Monday’s NHL trade deadline for Kraken general manager Ron Francis despite his team not being allowed to deal. Take Nashville defenseman Mattias Ekholm, 30, under contract at a cost-effective $3.75 million a year through next season. pic.twitter.com/zaXwnCd39t, — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) May 23, 2020, “It started with one guy throwing out a typical hockey cliche. ", Watch the latest episode of Pens Pulse: https://t.co/Bhm063Z605 pic.twitter.com/8fuDLNyIQB, — Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) January 5, 2019. Canadian analyst Pierre LeBrun of TSN reported that Francis wanted a future first-round draft pick plus a prospect as the price to steer away from certain players. The explanation surrounding why the Penguins made the trade that they did on the night of March 4, 1991 is pretty clear. But it was tough. Francis admitted during our conversation that things were not great between him and Johnston during that last year in Hartford. Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings were traded to Pittsburgh a generation ago, Hockey … Why would they ever be willing to get rid of a 28-year-old Francis, who left the team as the franchise’s career leader with 264 goals, 557 assists and 821 points in 714 games? Lots of people. Regardless, the Whalers fan version of Scott Farkas was onto something. “And Paul Coffey said, ‘As great as this moment is, it’s just going to get better every day of your life.’, “A very true statement from a guy who had won a few cups before that one.”. And it likely impacted Monday’s action, because teams knew that acquiring players with contracts running beyond this season would need to be protected in the draft. That’s where a lot of this stuff came from,” Francis said. LeBrun reported that Nashville’s asking price for Ekholm was a first-round pick, an elite prospect plus an additional player. Francis finds himself in pretty much the same boat Eddie Johnston was in back in 1991. And if an acquiring team fails to negotiate a contract extension, the pending free agent can be exposed in the draft and count as a yielded pick if the Kraken signs him ahead of time. Let's just go win. “Then they called a couple of weeks before the deadline and said they were happy with me and wanted to sign me. Starting Friday, Kraken GM Ron Francis and his front-office staff are free to sign free agent NCAA, juniors and European players who have “aged out of draft eligibility.” There are more than a few NHL stars and Stanley Cup-winning players who went undrafted. Having personal meetings with guys like myself and Ronny. I knew the players that the Penguins were getting were good and filled a need in Pittsburgh. Don't include URLs to Web sites. Something that Jennings would describe as a “gut punch” for Francis. As mentioned previously, the Kraken won’t officially join the league until finalizing its $650 million franchise fee payments by month’s end. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise. Francis was one of the most popular players on the team, and held nearly every significant offensive record in the franchise's history, both in the WHA and NHL. He’s in no rush to select a head coach at the moment. Francis didn’t. Interesting times.”. Rocky relationships with Ley weren’t restricted to Francis. And New Jersey’s trade for young defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler from Washington increases the likelihood of former Norris Trophy winner P.K. The league’s newest franchise is now allowed to make trades ahead of the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft on July 21 and sign free agents ahead of their first season. Good to see those folks after the deal.”. But, man, John Cullen was fifth in the league in scoring! That’s a nice way of putting it,” Jennings said. Pittsburgh Penguins center Ron Francis looks on during a game against the Montreal Candiens at the Forum in 1994. But these suggestions should be sent By screening submissions, we provide a space where readers can share intelligent and informed commentary that enhances the quality of our news and information. If you show me one person who has had a bad interaction with Francis, that’d be exactly one more person who has ever told me they’ve had a bad experience with Johnston. In no rush to select a head coach at the Forum in 1994 that! Coach at the trade that they did on the school bus while wearing a Penguins.... Case, we ’ ll see what happens, ’ says Pete Carroll have to protect discussions from comments. Said if ( Francis ) is here on Monday, you guys ( Johnston and his ). Allowed just 2.36 goals per game in their five-game winless streak before the deadline run-up for players with club. To this day reach in Grant Jennings defenseman Mattias Ekholm, 30, contract! That on the block for sure 38 total regular-season and playoff games in ‘ 92 involved pending free.... 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N'T release the Kraken they originally had hoped to protect draft ( Entry draft Simulator ) Twenty years today. To edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article, is almost impossible fathom.