The Edmonton Oilers will need to replace departed D Jeff Petry this summer in their top-four. Edmonton badly needs a solid offensive option who can also handle some tougher minutes on the blue-line. Cody Franson, who handled that role in Toronto, might just be the guy to do it.
Franson is young, only 27 years old, and is ready to find some stability this off-season. He is going to hit the market on July 1st, and will likely provide a team with solid play for years to come.
Why Is He Out There:
The Nashville Predators got bold at the trade deadline and moved a first round pick to Toronto in exchange for a package centered around Franson. It seemed like a great fit, but in reality it never worked. Franson struggled in Nashville, and was even healthy scratched in the playoffs. He wasn’t put in a position to succeed, and it showed.
The Predators have a number of solid defenders and are a budget team. The odds that they’ll pony up and pay Franson big money to play on their third pairing is virtually zero. He’s going to market July 1st, no doubt.
What Does He Do Well:
Cody Franson is a very strong offensive defender. His offensive instincts are tremendous, and he’s a valuable weapon for any hockey club. He can join the rush and run things from the point effectively. He sees the ice well, and is pretty mobile.
Franson’s passing ability is solid to say the least. He moves the puck extremely well from anywhere on the ice. He excels at getting the puck out of the defensive zone with an outlet pass, and does a very good job of moving the puck up to the attacking forwards. He’s a solid play-making defender.
He also has a bomb of a shot, which makes him extremely dangerous. Defenders have to respect the option of him shooting at all times, and can’t just assume he’ll dish the puck off. Franson can run a power-play unit, something he did in a massive way during his time in Toronto with the Maple Leafs.
Franson isn’t the most physical player in the game today, but he possesses great size, standing in at a massive 6’5” and 213 pounds. He’s strong enough to break up the cycle, and doesn’t get bulled over by bigger forwards. That’s key for an offensive defender in today’s game.
One wart here is that Franson doesn’t handle a boat load of minutes, as he averaged 19:37 a night last year. That’s serviceable, but it’s worth noting that it isn’t top-pairing level.
This is a solid offensive defender that would fit perfectly on a team’s second pairing. He does everything well that Mike Green does, but is a little better defensively. Think of it that way.
Where Will He Play / Where Should He Play:
Franson would be Edmonton’s second best defender behind only Oscar Klefbom. That would put him on the top-pairing, but I think that’s a little too much for him. Franson is good, but he doesn’t fit the role of a top-pairing defender, not at this stage of his career at least.
Ideally, Franson is a number three or four defender on a club. If Edmonton can slide him into that role thanks to another acquisition, then perfect. If not, this might be another case of setting up a player to fail.
What Will He Cost:
Cody Franson is going to want to cash in big time this summer. Think of the deal that Matt Niskanen got last July, and apply it here. I’ll say that a five year deal worth around $5-$5.5 million per season gets it done. That’s a hefty price tag for a second pairing defender, no doubt.
Closing Arguments:
Cody Franson is a good hockey player, and would help the Oilers. He’s a legit top-four defender in this league, and he is a very solid puck-moving presence. That said, he isn’t a top-pairing defender, and can’t be counted on to turn the unit around.
If Edmonton signed Franson and acquired another top-four option, this could work. Franson could play a major role on the power-play, and play on a second-pairing with Oscar Klefbom that feasts on easier zone starts. If the Oilers can set him up to succeed, Franson would be a terrific addition.
[wpauction /]
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