The Curious Case of Cody Franson

The 2015 free agent crop was one of the weakest in recent memory. Comprised of mostly depth players and second to third pairing defensemen, the fact that Cody Franson remains unsigned is curious.

In both the 2013 and 2014 offseason Franson and his agent negotiated with Leafs management late into the offseason, ending up with a one year deal and pay increase on both occasions. Since being acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs 2011, Franson had been seeking a deal with more money and a longer term commitment from Toronto. Even after being traded to the Nashville Predators (where he began his career) prior to last years trade deadline, Franson made it publicly known he would love to return to Toronto in the offseason.

The 28 year old defenceman was having a solid season for Toronto with 55 GP, 32 points and averaging 21:23 of ice time (not too mention great corsi numbers), he was a rare bright spot on a terrible Leafs team, and looked poised to finally earn the contract he had desired since arriving in Toronto. At the time, being traded to the Predators (a playoff bound team) appeared to be a great opportunity to increase his chances of landing the big contract either in Nashville, back in Toronto or with another NHL club. However the move to Nashville may in fact be the reason he is still unsigned today.

Franson saw his ice-time reduced to an average of 17:40 per night, and an even worse 14:16 per night when Ryan Ellis was in the lineup. This may not come as a surprise, seeing as Franson went from a defence with names like Roman Polak and Stephane Robidas to a Nashville unit with Shea Weber, Roman Josi and Ryan Ellis. Although he kept up his underlying stats and great corsi numbers, Franson just never seemed to be able to make an impact with the Predators. The approach for the Cody Franson camp would be an interesting one to watch coming off the poor experience.

So now we sit in late August, training camp right around the corner and Cody Franson is still a free agent, which begs the question, why hasn't anyone signed the 28 year old? Did the experience in Nasvhille really sour his image so badly that no team wants to offer him at the very least a match to his 2014-15 contract? Perhaps Franson is trying to block out the whole Nashville part of last season and thinks he is worth the contract he was headed for following a solid season in Toronto. Whatever the reason, Franson should find a home before training camp commences for the 2015 season, it will be interesting to see not only where he lands, but for how long and how much.

What do you think is the reason Cody Franson remains unsigned? Where will he end up and what will his contract look like? Let us know your thoughts !


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Frustration in the Nation - By Mike Byrne

The first egg of the 2014-15 season was laid early this year in the Leafs second game of the season. It seemed as though for most of the game the Pens had an extra skater on the ice, 5 on 5 looked like a power play for the Pens, and when Pittsburgh did end up with a man advantage it was no contest for the Leafs who looked like boys amongst men. Not to mention the fact that once again as so often seems to be the case, the Leafs were horribly out shot (41-25)

Although it's difficult to say "enough with the negatives", after watching that performance, there were a couple (only a couple) of bright spots last night. The only players that seemed to show up were Joffrey Lupul (1G -1) and rookie defenseman Stuart Percy (1A).

Midway through the third period a disgruntled onlooker of this game threw their Leafs jersey to the ice in a sign of protest.... now, yes it was a tough game to watch, and yes we all know how frustrating it is to be a fan of this team, but to the person who decided to discard their jersey on Saturday night, you... are a loser. I know so many people who would love the opportunity to have your seats at the game (win or loss) or be able to own a jersey, I sincerely hope you have never referred to yourself as a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was the second game of a new season and already it's time to give up on this team ? Pathetic, this is why we are possibly one of the most despised fan bases in professional sports, have a little class people.

All of these factors coupled with an awful butchering of the HNIC broadcast by our friends at Rogers, and the consistently annoying and useless commentary of Glen Healy made for a forgettable Saturday night if you are a member of Leafs nation. However, we can now move on to Sunday night when the Leafs head to New York to take on the Rangers for their home opener and banner raising ceremony. Hopefully it will be our first chance to see James Reimer between the pipes, it has been speculated all weekend, but with Randy Carlyle's favouritism of Bernier and overall questionable coaching decisions who knows ! Hang in there Leafs nation, at least we are all in this together !

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