Ron Francis explained why he did not choose Carey Price
Now that the Expansion Draft is over, it's time to analyze this first work sample from general manager Ron Francis. While the strategy adopted by the Kraken is still very difficult to explain, one thing is very clear: Ron Francis wanted to keep as much leeway as possible on the payroll.
In fact, despite the abundance of big names at his disposal, Francis attached the services of very few players with large salaries. Mark Giordano is the highest paid player on the team, currently earning $6,750,000 per year.
The name of goaltender Carey Price is obviously on the list of high earners ignored by the Kraken. A blessing for Canadiens fans, but also a questionable decision on the part of Ron Francis.
The main interested party actually took the time to explain, on TVA Sports, the reason that pushed him to select young defenseman Cale Fleury instead of a goalie of Carey Price's caliber, and it is, all in all, very logical.
Predictably, Francis' decision was entirely due to the impact Price's $10.5 million per year salary (for five more years) would have on his team's payroll, especially over the long term.
Nevertheless, the Kraken's payroll currently stands at just over 52 million, not even the salary floor allowed by the National League. It's all well and good to conserve space, but isn't that a bit much in this case?
One thing is certain, considering the 30 million dollars the Kraken has at its disposal, Ron Francis should be very aggressive in the next few days, both in terms of transactions and in the opening of the free agent market.
