Ron Francis, the Kraken's first general manager, is being replaced by assistant Jason Botterill, who is a former GM for the Buffalo Sabres.

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.

Transition plan had been in the works for much of the past two years as team looks to emulate others by splitting some duties in a modern GM role that’s become ever-more-challenging