The Hurricanes are making an adjustment to their coaching staff with Hall of Famer Ron Francis leaving his associate head coach position.

The move sends Francis back to the front office, where he'll be in a better position to oversee personnel within the organization. The change has nothing to do with the Hurricanes missing the playoffs for the second consecutive year, general manager Jim Rutherford said.

"I think the coaching staff did a very good job ... dealing with so many players who haven't played a full season in the league," Rutherford said.

The move is viewed as significant given that Francis has been one of the organization's most popular and most visible personalities for years. When the Hurricanes made a coaching change during the 2008-09 season and brought back Paul Maurice as head coach, putting Francis on the coaching staff was a way to appease much of the fan base, which was skeptical about the move in many ways.

Francis was often charged with overseeing the team's power play, which went through some valleys this season. Still, his presence on the coaching staff gave instant credibility.

"I wouldn't want to suggest that he's finished coaching," Rutherford said.

Rutherford said the Hurricanes will look at several different options regarding filling the vacancy on the coaching staff.

SEASON HIGHLIGHT
The Hurricanes were the hosts for the NHL All-Star Game, and that gave them a chance to showcase their operations along with rookie forward Jeff Skinner. Skinner's season-long play, right from the winning shootout goal in the second game of the season, was perhaps the biggest theme for the Hurricanes throughout the season. He's in line to capture league-wide rookie honors.

TURNING POINT
The Hurricanes came out of the All-Star break and went 4-6-3 in February, putting them in a tough situation heading into the final six weeks of the season. Offensive woes came to the forefront during this stretch, and those created some uneasy times. Even a season-ending 8-2-1 roll couldn't move the Hurricanes into the playoffs.

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