- Mike Johnston of Sportsnet: Johnston thinks that Cody Franson is looking for a deal in the $4 million range. Maybe his asking price, or the term he’s looking to get is the reason he remains unsigned. Five teams that could be a fit for Franson:
Boston Bruins – Franson has said the sides have spoken. Franson has even spoken with former Bruin Milan Lucic about the Bruins.
Dallas Stars – could still improve their blueline, but they don’t have a lot of cap space.
Los Angeles Kings – adding a defenseman should still be a priority for GM Dean Lombardi. Slava Voynov’s future remains uncertain.
Arizona Coyotes – are looking for a right handed defenseman to play with Oliver Ekman-Larsson and they have the cap space to add Franson.
Buffalo Sabres – would immediately help their power play and they have the cap space to add him.
- David Staple of the Edmonton Journal: Staples looks at seven reasons as to why Cody Franson may not be signed as of yet.
1. He’s a slow skater, who struggles with speedy attackers on the rush, and this is a valid concern for GMs looking to plug a hole on one of their top d-man pairings.
2. Nashville gave up a lot for him in trade, but he failed to impress there.
3. He’s got some excellent passing and shooting skills but because he’s a subtle, unorthodox player, more of a thinker than a hustler, he’s not to the taste of some GMs.
4. While lots of writers are enthused about Corsi analysis, and some NHL teams have hired people known for their work with Corsi, perhaps those people and their analysis don’t yet have the full trust of NHL GMs.
5. Franson has evidently been asking for more money and/or term than the market will pay. If this wasn’t the case, he would have signed by now, of course.
6. Toronto commentators are fixated on the Leafs and might well put a higher value than others do on Leafs players. This isn’t to suggest that the Toronto commentators are all wrong and entirely incorrect about Franson’s worth — it’s not uncommon for good players on bad teams to be under valued.
7. Ten years after it was created, the NHL’s salary cap is finally working as it was originally intended.