Hurricanes sign GM Ron Francis to extension through 2018-19

Carolina Hurricanes general manager Ron Francis joins Hockey Central at Noon to talk about signing goaltender Cam Ward and the recent trade with the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Carolina Hurricanes have signed executive vice president and general manager Ron Francis to a contract extension, team owner and CEO Peter Karmanos Jr. announced Tuesday morning.

The deal will see Francis remain in Carolina through the 2018-19 season.

“Ron has rebuilt our organization the right way, stocking our team and system with young players who will help this franchise compete for the Stanley Cup year in and year out,” Karmanos said in a press release. “I’m thrilled that he will continue to see the job through. The future is very bright for the Hurricanes in Carolina.”

The upcoming season will be the 53-year-old’s 11th with the Hurricanes in a management capacity, and his third as GM of the club. His other positions with the team have included director of player development, assistant GM, associate head coach and director of hockey operations.

As a player, Francis ranks fifth on the all-time scoring list (1,798 points) and second in assists (1, 249) behind Wayne Gretzky. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Nov. 2007.

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.