Earlier this week, unrestricted free agent defenseman Christian Ehrhoff signed a one year, $1.5 million deal to play for the LA Kings next season. MY first reaction to the news was that fellow UFA D Cody Franson must be thrilled with the low ball deal that Ehrhoff accepted. The Ehrhoff one year, low dough deal is now a comparable for Franson's agent to have to negotiate off of.
Comes news from my friend Mike Harrington of the Buffalo News that the Buffalo Sabres are rumored to be in on Franson talks.
According to two NHL sources, the Sabres are trying to lure former Toronto and Nashville blueliner Cody Franson by offering a two-year contract. Franson, who turned 28 on Aug. 8, has been linked in the rumor mill this month with teams such as Boston, Pittsburgh and Columbus but is almost certainly seeking a multi-year deal. His has played on one-year contracts the last three seasons. He made $3.3 million last season.
*Eyebrows raised*
Franson won't be getting that big, fat 5 year, $25-$27 million contract. Not this summer anyway. With so many teams slammed tight against the cap ceiling, there are no more dollars left in the marketplace. The Sabres have $12 million in cap space, however, Murray likely wants to test drive Franson before he buys him. Franson was a disappointment for the Predators during the first round of the playoffs against the Blackhawks. He never seemed to gel with his D partners, nor did he play with a lot of confidence as he previously had in Toronto.
The Buffalo D corps is in good shape right now. Their blue line consists of Zach Bogosian, Rasmus Ristolainen, Josh Gorges, Mike Weber, Mark Pysyk, Carlo Colaiocovo, and Matt Donovan. Rookie Jake McCabe will do his dead level best in training camp to turn heads and earn a sixth or seventh D roster spot.
Franson would add immediate value to the Buffalo blue line. He plays 18-20 minutes per game. He thrives 5 on 5, PP, and PK.
At what cost though?
Tim Murray is looking for a left handed D, however, Franson has been known to play both left and right D. He struggled to play the left side last season after he ws traded from Toronto to Nashville. Were Murray to sign him to the Sabres, he'd likely leave Franson on the right side and move Mark Pysyk to the left side. Pysyk plays both sides very well.
Franson is 6'5" and nearly 220 lbs. He is not a bomber and a head knocker like Zach Bogosian but he plays a salty, physical brand of hockey. He excels on the PP because of his boom, accurate point shot.
He scored 7 goals and added 29 assists in 78 games and setting a career high with 36 points. He was the Predators' third-round pick in 2005 out of Vancouver in the WHL. He was a former teammate of Evander Kane with the Vancouver Giants.
Calgary, Boston, Phoenix, Pittsbirgh and Edmonton are rumored to be interested in signing the free agent
I'd offer Franson two years and $5-6 million. Take it or leave it.
You?
Earlier this summer, a friend of mine swore that he spotted Cody Franson and a member of the Sabres coaching staff together at an outside cage at the inner harbor near First Niagara Center. Could have been Franson. Could have been one of 20,000 red haired giants who call South Buffalo their home. On July 15 I wrote this piece on Franson:
Murray Moving To Franson?
http://t.co/B9jbUyoWaS pic.twitter.com/ODaKoyeKHQ
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) July 16, 2015Cody Franson may be the next defenseman in Tim Murray’s crosshairs now that Johnny Oduya took a Texas-sized discount to play in Dallas. Murray’s month long courtship with Oduya ended on Wednesday morning when the two-time Stanley Cup champ signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with the Stars.
Murray coveted Oduya because of his championship pedigree and his veteran skill set. The 33 year old D will play with his former Stars teammate Patrick Sharp who joined the Stars last Friday night after being traded for Trevor Daley and Ryan Garbutt.
For Murray and the radically rebuilt Sabres, the show must go on. Murray is in hot pursuit of a veteran D-man. I don’t think that it matters at this point whether the D-man is a righty or a lefty. Murray said Sunday that he has scoured the waiver wire. He has also made several phone calls seeking to make trades. He has also checked and double-checked the unrestricted free agent list.
Don’t sleep on Cody Franson. The former Nashville Predator and Toronto Maple Leaf D-man has been an afterthought since unrestricted free agency opened on July 1. Franson and former Sabres D Christian Ehrhoff have patiently watched the signings of UFA defenders Mike Green, Reggie Sekera, Paul Martin, Johnny Oduya, Carlo Colaiaocovo, Matt Donovan, and Bobby Sanguinetti.
Franson may be the solution to Tim Murray’s blue line depth demands.
At 28, Franson is a 6’5… 215 pound tower of power who will give the Sabres a gritty, rugged, responsible two-way game. In his six year NHL career, he has scored 29 points or more on four different occasions. He’s not the best skater in the world but he gets the job done. Franson scored a career-high 36 points (7G, 29A) last season for the Preds and Leafs. Franson would augment the re-tooled Buffalo blue line with his size, snarl and skill. He is big, strong and can wire the puck from the point. Who cares if he is a right handed D. Franson would mesh well with Zach Bogosian, Rasmus Ristolainen, Josh Gorges, Mark Pysyk, Mike Weber, and either Jake McCabe or Carlo Colaiaocovo. Franson played junior hockey with Evander Kane while with the Vancouver Giants.
I can see Terry Murray rolling D pairs:
Bogosian-Ristolainen Gorges-Franson Weber-Pysyk
McCabe or Colaiaocovo will be 7th
Franson is seeking a long term deal in $5 million per season. The Nashville Predators gave the Toronto Maple Leafs a first round draft choice for Franson who was virtually invisible for the Preds in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Perhaps that is why Franson is sitting and waiting for his agent to call him. Remember that Oduya turned down a three year, $15 million deal from Tim Murray and the Sabres. Franson can’t find that kind of scratch in Pittsburgh or Boston, the two outposts that he has been linked to via free agency chatter. Franson won’t play for pennies on the dollar. Murray would be wise to pursue Franson because he can play 20+ minutes 5-v-5, on the power play and penalty kill.
Franson is a big man who will make opposing forward think twice about driving to Robin Lehner's blue ice.
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The St. Louis Blues have been dealt a stinging blow.
Top six center turned bottom six winger Patrik Berglund will undergo surgery on his right shoulder and will be evaluated in four months. Berglund dinged his wing while training for the upcoming season in his native Sweden.
Berglund dislocated the same shoulder during the 2013-14 season.
Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock will likely find Berglund's replacement in one of Troy Brouwer, Kyle Brodziak, or Dmitri Jaskin.
This injury comes at a terrible time for Berglund, 27, who is entering the final year of his 3 year, $11.1 million contract with the Blues. He will become eligible for unrestricted free agency next summer.
Berglund has yet to fulfill the lofty expectations that were placed on him in his draft year. He's a gentle giant who plays a small man's game. He stands 6'3" and 220 pounds, however, he plays a perimeter game. A man that size with his unique skill set should be camped out in the blue ice at the enemy end of the rink. Not Berglund. He has fallen out of favor in recent seasons especially after the Blues have been punted prematurely from the LA KIngs and Chicago Blackhawks.
My guess is that the Blues will be holding off on signing Berglund to a contract extension until they are absolutely certain that he is fully and completely recovered from his surgery. The team doctors won't know the answer to that question until January or possibly even February, depending on how his rehab and physical therapy progress.
Berglund's no trade clause kicked in on July 1.
Berglund scored 12 goals and chipped in 15 assists in 77 games last season. He potted two goals and two assists in six playoff games.
The Vasteras, Sweden, native has spent his entire seven-year NHL career with the Blues after the club drafted him in the first round (25th overall) of the 2006 NHL Draft. Overall, he has accumulated 247 points (118 goals, 129 assists) and 164 penalty minutes in 513 career regular season games, as well as 13 points (six goals, seven assists) and 10 penalty minutes in 29 career postseason games.
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The Blues are taking a flyer on ancient forward Scott Gomez. Blue GM Doug Armstrong (with influence from Marty Brodeur?) is inviting Gomez to training camp on a PTO contract.
No promises. Just an opportunity.
Gomez, 35, is a 15-year NHL veteran with stints in New Jersey, New York (Rangers), Montreal, San Jose and Florida. Last season, the 5-foot-11, 198-pound forward logged 34 points (seven goals, 27 assists) and 23 penalty minutes in 58 regular season games with New Jersey
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