From the Front Office: Ron Francis

The Kraken are approaching ten games played. Usually that's a time where you can see an identity forming. So, what do you think (about your team so far)?

I think it's been good. There’s no doubt in my mind we're a better team than we were last year. I think our level of play has been good; I think there's still some things we're working out. I'd like to see our special teams be a little bit better; we've had some really dominant periods; we've had some periods we haven't been as good.

I think it's a little bit of a process…players getting to know each other and the new players; coaching staff getting to know the players; players getting to know the coaching staff. There's a lot of new faces. Overall, I’m pleased with the direction we're going in, but I do still think we have another level we can get to.

Let's acquaint the fans with that. On the positive side, there's no question the team is generating chances. They're scoring, they're playing the way Dan wants: playing north with the puck, and playing fast and all those things. What's encouraging about what you're seeing in terms of the offensive game?

I think (it’s) the pace with which we're playing. To me, we go back to two years ago. We had the 100-point season and the success in the playoffs. That was our identity. We don't have superstars per se, the (Connor) McDavids, but there's 30 other teams besides us that don't have a McDavid either.

Our success has come in the past from all four lines being able to contribute and play and we feel when we can roll four lines and play at a high pace, that puts a lot of pressure on the other team to do that, or at least sustain it for 60 minutes. That's an advantage to us.

I think we've gotten back to that identity where we got away from it a little bit last year. We've had some (very) strong games in that regard. We've had some dominant periods in that regard. But I still don't think we have everybody clicking at 100-percent and it's finding the right line combinations as we work through that and tweaking some of the parts of our game that need to be tweaked. But (there are) a lot more positives at this point than there were last year at this point.

What's the biggest challenge in five-on-five play for the team right now?

You know, it doesn't come easy for us. We're a team that has to work for it. It's getting that mindset to come in and have to work hard each and every night. And it's great - I think some of the games where we were able to score seven goals or six goals…that spreads through your lineup, and everybody feels good about their game, right? That helps to go in the right direction for the team overall.

Defensively, we've made some mistakes. I think a lot of times we cause our own problems by just little things, and maybe it's been trying to do too much. Maybe you're two feet from the blue line in the D zone, and instead of making sure the puck gets out, we try and make a play, or we lose the battle, and the puck stays in our own zone for 30-35 seconds. Or, maybe instead of hanging onto the puck behind the net, we're throwing something out, hoping that it's going to result in a goal and that leads to the other teams’ breakout against us, and now you have to work hard by busting your butt back down the ice on the backcheck.

(There are) little things in our game that we can still get better at, especially five-on-five, and if we do that, that'll help us in the big picture.

It's early in the season, but then again, it's not because you like to see things humming in all facets of the game, but you did mention the power play, and there are some situations in terms of how they move the puck that look really good and are encouraging, but what do you think you'd like to see change on the power play?

It's a lot easier to start a power play when you win that initial face-off. So that's a key part, right? That's doing a better job of winning the opening face-off in the offensive zone that gives us possession. (That means) we don't have to go up and down the ice and work on an entry again.

For me, the other thing I'd like to see (is) we establish a shot-first kind of mentality; I think we're moving the puck better. I think we can get some more physical movement within that five-on-four power play. I think we can move the puck a little bit quicker at times. At times, I think we're a little bit too deliberate, and I think we can get a little more selfish in wanting to shoot the puck, because I think we have a lot of good shooters, and at times, we get too comfortable passing it around the perimeter instead of getting pucks to the net. (If) you get a shot of the net, and you (can) jump on the rebound. It forces the defense to reset and look around, and that's usually when you can create more opportunity.

Overall, there's things I think we can tweak and get better.

The coaching staff - the majority is brand new. Just looking at it from your seat and how they work together, how situations within the team game are delegated, and how Dan’s performing, just your thoughts on that.

Yeah, it's a big challenge. You (have) a whole new staff. You're trying to get to know each other, you're trying to get to know our players and implement a system and structure and what you want. Player X may be playing great. Player Y might be struggling a little bit. How do you work with him? What are the buttons to push? It takes time to get to know your personnel.

The staff itself seems to be working really well. They're having a lot of communication with the players. I think everything is trending in the right direction, but it's a process for the staff and the players to get to know each other and understand what needs to be done on a day-in, day-out basis.

Overall, it's positive. I wouldn't say it's perfect. It's always a work in progress, no matter how long you've been the coach and with the team, but it's certainly trending in the right direction.

Turning to some individual players now. Jordan Eberle. You were one of the greatest leaders that's played the game. Tell us something about (Eberle’s) makeup that maybe we don't know. That the fans don't know, as to what you see in his traits that make him the right leader at this time for the team?

Well, he’s kind of a throwback, old school, professional player. He's usually the first guy at the rink in the morning. He takes care of himself. He does what he needs to do in the gym, before practice, post-practice, before games, warmups, and post-game. Whether it's weights or biking, he's doing all the things that you want your young guys to look at, your other team members to look at and say, “If this guy's doing it, I have to do it too, right?” He's a leader in that regard.

He broke his hand in game three last year and played the six weeks (after that) with a broken hand. People say, “Well, he's not scoring,” well, he was playing with a broken hand. We don't always tell people publicly what he's dealing with, but that's the kind of guy you want. He's not willing to take himself out of the lineup, even though maybe his production isn't going to be as great. (His perspective is) “I'm going to stay in there. I'm going to fight with my teammates.” And the respect you get from your teammates in the locker room when you do those kinds of things is immense.

The biggest thing with any captain is you don't change who you are. And that's Jordan. He's comfortable in his own skin, and who he is and how he operates, and whether he's wearing a C or an A or no letter, it’s not going to change who he is or how he goes about doing business in the locker room.

When you look at the bigger picture, we felt it was the right time to put a letter on somebody, and we certainly felt he was deserving of that. And he's responded with a very good start for the team.

Jared McCann is the first player you extended. He's the first player to hit 100 goals (with the Kraken). Are you surprised at his production? When you look back to selecting him in the Expansion Draft, are you surprised with the level he's been able to get to?

Well, he's a Soo Greyhound (CHL), so we never were surprised with those guys (laughs). I remember watching him in junior early in his career and we always felt he had a shot. When you're going through an Expansion Draft, he was an interesting guy for us because of the speed and because of the shot. We got him in here, and I think he's the kind of guy that needs to get comfortable and feel comfortable. I think we've built a very good relationship in trusting each other and how things go, and he's really done his end of the bargain on the ice; the way he works and the way he can shoot pucks…it's not easy to score goals in this league, it's even harder to score goals in this league from 30 or 40 feet out, and he's one of those guys that can do that.

He's been a very good player for this organization in the past, and we believe he will be a good player for us moving forward.

Let’s talk about the two most prominent free agent signings, Chandler Stephenson and Brandon Montour. Sometimes it takes a while for players to get used to new surroundings and the burden of a new contract and all of that. Your impressions of those two?

I've been pleased with both of them. Chandler is one of those guys that's good in all three zones. He’s good on faceoffs for us, which is something we've needed in the past few years. That's a positive. We use him on the power play. We use him on the penalty kill. We use him in other situations. He’s completely well-rounded. (He) probably surprised me a little bit. I think there's even maybe more talent there than I thought coming in. Hopefully, we can work with him and get him to even another level because I think he has the ability to be an 80-plus point guy if he puts it all together.

(It’s) exciting to have him in the fold, and it's a benefit for our younger centermen. We forget Matty (Beniers); he's 21 years old. Shane (Wright) is 20 years old. To have a guy like that with (Stephenson’s) experience and maybe take some of the heavy matchups on some nights, or the heavier draws-in situations of the younger kids, is a benefit as well. (I’ve) been very pleased with him.

Brandon is just a terrific personality. You saw it again (against Winnipeg). Matty scores. And here's a guy (Montour) that's just coming off winning the Stanley Cup, and the jubilation on his face and just how excited he was for Matty to score and the team to score. I don't know how he does it. But he skates like 50 miles in a hockey game and doesn't look like he gets tired. He’s been a really upbeat player for us not only on the ice but in our locker room and around our organization. (We’re) really excited to have both those guys in the fold.

As we tape this, Beniers is coming off his best game of the season. Being rookie of the year, all the contract stuff, it's all put to bed now. As you watch him, where he's at right now, what would be your message to him? He's still 21 years old. What would be your message to him, maybe in the mental aspect, to move forward?

Yeah, it's funny. Before the game against Winnipeg, one of our owners popped by. I was talking to him before the game. He asked about Matty, and I said, “I know he's only got one assist, but he's (doing more than) the numbers are indicating. He just needs one to go in (the net) so he can relax and feel better about his game.”

He's put the time in in the off-season. He put on 13 pounds from where he was last year. He looks stronger. If he can maintain that weight this year…you get a chance to put on another 10 pounds next summer. At age 22-23, this kid's going to be a totally different player than we see now.

(Matty) cares about the Kraken and he cares about his teammates. He cares about us winning. He's solid in all three zones and does a lot of really good things for us. I think (his game against Winnipeg) hopefully puts him a little bit more at ease. He gets a couple of goals and an assist. We’re not looking for that every single night…it would be great if we got that every night…but it's a tough League, and it's not going to happen (laughs).

I think he just (needs to continue) to do the things he's doing and shooting the puck because, as you saw last night, he's got a heck of a shot.

How would you gauge Shane Wright and where he's at right now?

Shane's probably right where I thought (he’d be). He had a terrific camp and made the team - it's exciting and good. I think his last few games have kind of been just okay. But again, this is a 20-year-old kid playing in the National Hockey League, and it's something that we as a coaching staff and as a management staff and as an organization, have to continue to work with him and stay upbeat and positive.

He has all the tools and the ability. For me, when Shane is skating and shooting the puck, that's when he's at his best. (We want him) playing with pace and shooting the puck when he has the opportunity because he's got a heck of a shot, and he's got really good wheels when he when he wants to skate.

There will be adversity for every team when it comes to injuries, and you've got one now with Vince Dunn out, which looks like it could be a bit. Navigating through this period of time, with that piece missing, what's important for the team?

So before (Dunn) got hurt, we're in a tight situation, cap-wise, right? With basically $4,300 in cap space left, obviously, going into long-term injured reserve (with Dunn) frees up some cap space. That gives us some flexibility to bring up some guys and have some depth around us if need be.

You never want to lose a player, especially somebody who plays the kind of minutes that Vince does for us on the back end. It’s a big loss. But our mentality in this situation, and every situation, has to be “it’s the next man up,” right? Josh Mahura we signed as a free agent this summer. He steps in there, and he's done a good job for us so far. The team has continued to play well, and that's what we have to do. Vince has to heal, and once he's ready to get back in the lineup, we know we'll be a better team when he comes back. But until then, it's our job to continue to compete and find ways to win games.

Lastly, Coachella Valley. For our fans, it's early in the season, but could you share just a general overview of where that team is at and what (fans) could be looking for, maybe a couple of individual names?

Yeah, it's been interesting because they've only played three games, they play a fourth game tonight, as we're taping this. In the first game (a 2-1 loss to Bakersfield), I thought they played well. It was a close game, and they lost in a low-scoring game.

In the second game (a 3-1 loss to Calgary), they outplayed the other team but didn't win again. Then, they go into San Diego and find a way to win. They're up 6-1 and hung on in the third. There was an interesting play…our young net minder, (Niklas) Kokko is in net, and it's 6-4, they dump the puck and he knocks it down behind the net. Instead of just leaving it for his defenseman, he's going to try for the empty net. It was knocked down at the blue line with their defenseman, it turns out, and (San Diego) ended up making the score 6-5. But we hung to win. I love that kind of brash confidence, right? He wasn't just there to play for the win…he had a chance to score a goal. He was going to take that, and that's what I think you're going to find.

It's going to take a little time for our young guys to understand this is a totally different schedule than they're used to in junior. They're doing more stuff off the ice and in our weight room to help them mature and get stronger for the NHL. So, there's a process to getting them there, which you see in October and November, is going to be different from what you see in these kids in December and January. It's going to be different when you see them in March and April. There are a lot of good signs early with some of the young players. (Jagger) Firkus is playing well. (Eduard) Sale, who could be back in Junior, is actually tied for the lead in scoring for the team. (Jani) Nyman, (David) Goyette, (Ty) Nelson – there are a lot of young kids in the lineup. But (they are) all playing well. It's exciting to see.