Free agency has been quiet for UFA defenseman Cody Franson. The 30 year old most recently played for the Buffalo Sabres, but bounced around between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the team who drafted him in 2005, the Nashville Predators.
Journalist Dhiren Mahiban reports that a one year deal is in the works for Franson, with four teams on the table: the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and San Jose Sharks.
Hearing former #Leafs D Cody Franson deciding between Chicago, Edmonton, Vancouver and San Jose. Looking like a one-year deal for the UFA.
— Dhiren Mahiban (@dcmahiban) September 5, 2017
San Jose lost two defensemen this off-season. David Schlemko was lost in the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft and then flipped to the Montreal Canadiens. Barracuda defenseman Mirco Mueller was traded to New Jersey. That leaves one spot in the big club and at least three defense prospects who are ready to make a case for it (Dylan DeMelo, Tim Heed, and Joakim Ryan). There doesn’t appear to be room for an aging defenseman.
On the other hand, bringing in Franson on a one year contract isn’t the worst scenario for any of the young guys. Marcus did a fantastic job breaking down the positives of signing Franson earlier this summer. Doing so would give Doug Wilson plenty of wiggle room to make a bigger move later in the season.