Hurricanes terminate Ron Francis' contract

The Carolina Hurricanes terminated the contract of president of hockey operations Ron Francis on Monday, the team announced.

The club also announced that Joe Nieuwendyk has resigned as a pro scout and advisor.

The move comes after Francis was reassigned from his general manager duties to president of hockey operations back on March 7. Since then, the team has reportedly seen a number of GM candidates pull themselves out of the running for the job. According to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, the GM role has been appointed to Don Waddell for the time being.

Last week, former head coach Bill Peters signed with the Calgary Flames after opting out of his contract with the team.

On the flip side, the Hurricanes were lucky enough to acquire the second overall pick on Saturday at the draft lottery, which Waddell feels should make the team more appealing to potential coaches and GM candidates.