You could offer sheet him. The Canes have the cap room.
- cap1681
I hashed through this one on Twitter last night. I don't think it is a good option:
1) Canes would have to overpay to get him to sign it.
2) IF they did get him, it would cost a 1st and a 3rd round pick.
3) Justin Faulk is scheduled to be RFA next summer.
I think the Franson does fit the bill of what the Canes need, but I think this is also the most complicated transaction to do. The Canes should be able to get a good idea of what it takes to sign him, but they might not know exactly until after they get him. I have no idea who his agent is, but he would have some leverage after the Canes traded to get him and desperately needed to get him in the lineup. The team had trouble with this exact situation when they traded for Danny Markov way back when. The Canes scouts and management must be real high on him because a "kick the tires" contract will not be an option. It would basically be a long-term committed replacement for Pitkanen versus doing something shorter term and dealing with long-term next summer. Finally, there is the question of what Toronto would want in return. It would not be salary players. My hunch is that the trade cost for Franson would be much higher than Niskanen and probably some other options.
Short version: 1) Offer sheet is a bad idea; 2) Franson does fit the need; 3) Deal is more complex than others therefore probably decreasing likelihood.
