Good news guys! The Canes inked Francis to a 2 year deal today! <img border="0" alt="[Cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/cheers.gif" />
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Carolina signs Francis to $11M deal
DAVID DROSCHAK
AP Sports Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Ron Francis signed a
two-year, $11 million contract extension with the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday - less than 48 hours before the 39-year-old captain could have become an unrestricted free agent.
Francis, who made $5 million a year the past four seasons with the Hurricanes, will earn $5.5 million each of the next two seasons after leading Carolina to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in franchise history.
"He's been our best player over the last few years, and I believe he'll continue to be our best player and continue his leadership with this team," general manager Jim Rutherford said. "We're excited to get this piece of our team put together for next year."
Carolina was in danger or losing its leader and top scorer after Rutherford, Francis and his agents couldn't agree on a contract over the last week.
However, an unconventional dinner meeting at a Chinese restaurant Thursday night between Francis and Rutherford broke the ice on negotiations.
[very cool!]
"I thought it was at the point where it needed to happen," Francis said of the dinner meeting. "I give (my agents) credit for believing in me enough to trust me to go out and do that. I know there is a certain protocol that agents and GMs like to keep, but I felt I had to sit down with him and discuss things and get them on the right track.
"It was kind of one of those meetings - it was either going to put things on the right track or it was not going to happen. I felt that if we sat down face-to-face, with our relationship the past four years, we would be able to discuss some of the issues openly and frankly. When I left that meeting I felt pretty good that things would get done."
That wasn't the case following last Friday's meeting between the parties after the NHL awards ceremony in Toronto in which Francis won the Lady Byng and King Clancy trophies.
"From that first meeting until I sat down with Jimmy on Thursday night I really thought I would be moving. That thought was in the back of my mind," said Francis, who is building a home here and plans to retire in the area.
Incentives were at the center of the contract holdup.
Francis wanted guaranteed money in the second year of his deal. On the other hand, Rutherford, citing Francis' age, was reluctant to give his aging captain a large sum of money for what might be an unproductive second season, when Francis would be 41.
But Francis, who led the Hurricanes with 77 points last season, continued to push on the issue, and Rutherford ended up agreeing.
"It will be my 22nd season, it's not my first or second or third," Francis said. "I came off a season last year that was pretty good and when you look at things from a player's perspective you feel you've earned something for your career. I didn't want to have to go back out there and prove it again. There are always intangibles like injuries. There are no guarantees in life, but if you can get some guarantees rather than intangibles then you want to do that."
The signing all but assures Francis, who with 1,701 points is fifth on the all-time NHL scoring list, will close out his career with the Hurricanes.
"Unless he plays until he's 45," Rutherford said. "We've talked to him about working in the organization when he finishes playing, and he's welcome to do that. His intentions and our intentions when he came here four years ago was to end his career here and stay in the organization."
It has been an expensive week for the Hurricanes - but a productive one. In addition to signing Francis, leading goal scorer Jeff O'Neill signed a two-year, $7 million contract Wednesday.</font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">
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