The Kraken announced Wednesday that Ron Francis will be stepping away from the team at the end of the season.

Truthfully, it's been a long time coming for an expansion franchise that came into the league with considerable hype that they never managed to capture.

First, there was the botched expansion draft where the Kraken failed to maximize value and make any trades, as the Golden Knights did in their inaugural draft.

There were middling free agents and a weird fascination with middle-six wingers, and underachieving results from top picks Matty Beniers and Shane Wright, both of whom were seen as potential franchise cornerstones at the time of their draft.

Asides from a first-round upset against the Avalanche, there have been few bright spots in the Kraken's short history.

Presumably, Francis and his more conservative methods are out the window, and the Kraken will try to be more aggressive in icing a more competitive team. 

With rumors of a potential NBA team coming back to Seattle, it's possible the Kraken gets pushed even further down the totem pole in a city that will eventually have teams in all four major leagues. 

But how long will it take? What can the Kraken do in the immediate future to be competitive? 

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