Ron Francis has all kinds of eye-popping statistics attached to his Hall of Fame career. He averaged more than point a game, is second in NHL history in assists behind Wayne Gretzky and is fifth in career points.

When CEO Tod Leiweke and the ownership group of the Seattle NHL expansion team looked at his playing résumé, though, they were most impressed by another statistic: Francis was voted captain by three teams for 14 of his 23 years, first earning the role at age 21.

That leadership ability spurred them to hire Francis on Thursday as general manager of the yet-to-be-named team -- well ahead of their schedule.

Seattle's new NHL franchise has its first general manager.

Hall of Famer Ron Francis will be named the expansion team's GM, a source told ESPN's Emily Kaplan, confirming a Seattle Times report.

Francis will receive a multiyear contract from the team, which is expected to make the hire official later this week, the source said.

The expansion Seattle franchise is set to begin play in the 2021-22 season as the NHL's 32nd team.