Cody Franson is officially off the market.
Cody Franson gets a $1M signing bonus and $3M in salary this year, then a $650,000 SB and $2M salary next season. #sabres
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) September 10, 2015
Age: 27 2014-15 Cap Hit: $3.3 million
It took longer than most expected after flirting with a number of teams, but Cody Franson has finally inked a new contract, signing a deal with the Buffalo Sabres that will give him $6.65 million for the next two years.
After a great junior career with the Vancouver Giants in the WHL, which included a Memorial Cup championship and IIHF World Junior Gold in 2007, the 2005 Predators pick was thought to be yet another in a long line of excellent defenders coming out of Nashville. After two years percolating in Milwaukee with the Admirals, Franson finally made the jump to the big club in 2009. Despite solid offensive play and good possession numbers, he wasn’t able to move up the depth chart in Nashville and was dealt to the Toronto Maple Leafs in July 2011.
He would take more of a central role in Toronto, producing well on the power play and keeping a positive Corsi For% relative in increased ice time, despite the team around him dragging down his overall Corsi For%. Last season, with the Predators near the the top of the league and hoping to make a run, they brought Franson (along with forward Mike Santorelli) back into the fold, hoping he could bolster their already impressive blueline.
Unfortunately, it was a tale of two seasons for the big-bodied defenseman, as the solid offensive season he had been having in Toronto went the reverse direction, and he managed only 4 points in 28 combined regular and post-season contests for the Preds and saw his average ice time drop five minutes a night. At 27, Franson still has lots to give and, like most players on this list, could thrive if he gets into the right situation on the right team.
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