Cody Franson

Deadline Trade Market: Defensemen

February 19, 2017 at 8:56 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose 4 Comments

Rental defensemen are often a hot commodity leading into the NHL Trade Deadline and this year is set to be no exception. While there are several depth players available, there are also some blueliners that could be moved that would be impact acquisitions for their new teams. Here’s a closer look at how the market is shaping up.

Top Player Available

Kevin Shattenkirk – St. Louis – Last season, the Blues lost wingers David Backes and Troy Brouwer for nothing in free agency and the belief is that GM Doug Armstrong isn’t willing to let the same thing happen here even though they have climbed right back into the playoff picture.

Shattenkirk, who was ranked as the top UFA this year in our midseason power rankings, would be a top pairing player on quite a few contenders and would step onto the top power play unit just about everywhere. Not surprisingly, the asking price is believed to be quite high with a first rounder and a top prospect among the assets the Blues are seeking.

What’s particularly interesting is that St. Louis is amenable to let teams speak to Shattenkirk’s agent regarding a possible extension in a sign-and-trade scenario. If an agreement could be reached prior to a trade, the Blues would likely be in line for a stronger return for their top scoring blueliner.

Potential Top Four Options

Ron Hainsey – Hurricanes – While his numbers don’t jump out at anyone, Hainsey has quietly been an effective minute-munching defenseman for several years now. He doesn’t have the offensive upside that some of the others do but teams looking for stability on their second pairing will likely have some interest in adding him to the fold.

Dmitry Kulikov – Buffalo – He hasn’t fared particularly well with the Sabres after being acquired back at the draft from Florida and lingering back issues are certainly a concern as well. However, he has shown himself to be capable of logging considerable minutes (over 22 per game). He’s also one of the younger players believed to be available at just 26 years of age.

Johnny Oduya – Dallas – The Stars haven’t used him as a top four player too often this season but the veteran has been one dating back several years now and there are buyers where he would fit in on a second pairing. Like Hainsey, the two-way upside isn’t really there but Oduya can anchor a penalty kill and be a reliable presence in the defensive end.

Michael Stone – Arizona – After a breakout season offensively last year, Stone has yet to make anywhere near the type of impact he or the Coyotes were expecting this season. He also has seen his ice time drop by two minutes a night but is still over 20 minutes on average. After taking a one year, ‘show me’ deal in the summer, Stone will be motivated to show he still can be an effective offensive threat wherever he winds up.

[Closer Look: Trade Candidate Profiles for Hainsey, Kulikov, Oduya, and Stone]

Notable Depth/Role Players

Michael Del Zotto/Mark Streit – Philadelphia – Both players have been top four options in the past but Streit is better served as a power play specialist and a third pairing player at this point while Del Zotto’s inconsistency has resulted in a drop in usage this season. If teams are looking to add someone that they could envision themselves re-signing in the summer, the younger Del Zotto (he’s 26) will likely be the preferred option.

Cody Franson – Buffalo – After struggling to find a new contract in 2015, Franson wound up with the Sabres where he hoped he’d be able to continue the offensive progression he showed with Toronto beforehand. That hasn’t happened and as a result, he has been more of a third pairing player with the Sabres. With the shot he has though, he could still be an intriguing option on a power play.

Brendan Smith – Detroit – Smith has been a player that has left the Wings wanting more over the past few seasons. While he has flashes of strong play, he also has been prone to some poor decision making which makes him a bit of a wild card. He’s still fairly young at 28 and should have several suitors but because of his inconsistency, it’s hard to forecast him as more than a third pairing option on a new team.

[Closer Look: Trade Candidate Profiles for Del Zotto, Franson, and Smith]

Others That Could Move

These players would all serve as lower-end depth options for an acquiring team and would likely be available for a mid-round draft pick.

Matt Hunwick/Roman Polak – Toronto, Kyle Quincey – New Jersey, Nick Schultz – Philadelphia, Fedor Tyutin – Colorado

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cody Franson Out 2-3 Weeks With Foot Injury

February 11, 2017 at 4:02 pm CDT | by Zach Leach Leave a Comment

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Cody Franson is set to miss some time after taking a shot to the foot in the team’s Thursday night contest against the Anaheim Ducks. Franson was seen in a walking boot yesterday and, when asked for an update today by the Buffalo News’ John Vogel, coach Dan Bylsma informed him that a bone bruise in the foot would keep the big blue liner out two to three weeks.

The injury is a double-whammy for the Sabres. Going into tonight’s game, Buffalo trails the Boston Bruins by eight points with three games in hand for the final playoff spot in the division and had a chance to gain ground on the division rival Toronto Maple Leafs with a win. Not only does Frason’s injury hurt their chances against Toronto, but it substantially weakens their defense in all nine of their remaining games this month. The other side of the injury, as Vogel notes, is that Franson may not return prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 1st, and even if he does, his trade value will certainly be affected. With Franson out, the Sabres have an even greater chance of falling further out of the postseason race and becoming sellers, but Franson is also one of their top trade chips. There are wide-ranging views of Franson’s NHL value, but a market would have surely developed for his service, as was discussed in his recent Trade Candidates profile. That market is less firm following this injury news.

Franson has three goals and 13 assists in 51 games this season for Buffalo. In the second year of this two-year deal that took all summer to sign in 2015, Franson has continued to disappoint as a Sabre. Franson remains a solid defensive player, but was also a major point-producer early in his career with the Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs; Franson has not met those lofty expectations in Buffalo. A large part of his struggle has been the team’s unwillingness to give him major ice time on the power play, where historically he has been most dangerous. Franson needs a new home where he can rediscover his offensive game and be put to better use and the Sabres were very unlikely to give him an extension anyway. A deadline trade seemed very likely, but now becomes a question mark as March 1st approaches.

PHR Originals: 01/30/2017 – 02/05/2017

February 5, 2017 at 1:29 pm CDT | by Gavin Lee 2 Comments

As we get closer to the NHL trade deadline, PHR has been pumping out the original pieces. Here is a look at the past week:

The Trade Candidate pieces came fast and furious this week, with our staff taking a closer look at the cases for: Jannik Hansen (link), Cody Franson (link), Shane Doan (link), Teddy Purcell (link), Ben Bishop (link), Jimmy Howard (link), Michael Del Zotto (link), Jaroslav Halak (link), and Curtis Lazar (link).
Yesterday Zach Leach took a look at the expansion draft and the problems it is giving teams on the back end and in net. Calgary, Carolina and Philadelphia were specifically analyzed for some issues they will face. Stay tuned for part two this week.
I hosted our very first live chat on Thursday, and the questions came in bunches. The Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks seemed especially intriguing, as the two teams seem to match up on paper for a deal.
Brian La Rose took questions in his weekly mailbag feature, including addressing some concerns about Red Wings head coach Jeff Blashill.
Brian also completed the first round of his 2005 re-draft series. Amazingly, Steve Downie was the consensus 30th pick. It goes to show how first-round picks aren’t a lock, as Downie only scored 196 points in his 434 career games.
Late Wednesday night I took a look at some smaller deals that paid off at last year’s trade deadline, and the value you can find in the margins of an NHL roster. It’s not always the blockbuster that makes the biggest impact, just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Glen Miller wrote about how Alexander Burmistrov is filling a much-needed role at center in Arizona. The former top pick was selected off waivers early last month.
And finally, just today I examined Peter Budaj’s renaissance and the other players around the league who have made a huge comeback this season.

Trade Candidates: Cody Franson

February 4, 2017 at 1:15 pm CDT | by Zach Leach 1 Comment

If the summer of 2015 taught hockey fans anything, it was that there is no league-wide consensus about Cody Franson. The defenseman was expected to be one of the top blue liners on the market, but instead of jumping on a big offer early in free agency, his negotiations dragged on into September before he finally agreed to a deal with the Buffalo Sabres.

Two years later, Franson’s production has fallen off at both ends of the ice and his value is even more unpredictable. In need of a change of scenery, Franson is not re-signing with Buffalo this summer, so if the Sabres’ playoff hopes continue slip out of reach, they should be more than willing to move the big defenseman.

Contract

Franson is in the final year of a two-year, $6.65MM deal and will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end. At the trade deadline, Franson’s $3.325MM cap hit will be down to just over $1MM.

2016-17

Franson’s time in Buffalo has not gone according to plan. Reports in the summer of 2015 were that Franson was weighing offers between affordable, short-term deals with contenders or more money and more term from rebuilding teams. What he ended up with was a short-term deal, likely for the most money on the table though, with a rebuild. The lack of talent around him in Buffalo has certainly stifled Franson’s output, but most of the blame lies with him and not making the most of his situation. The 2015-16 season was the worst of Franson’s career. Although injuries limited him to just 59 games, Franson still scored less than half of the 36 points he had registered in 78 games with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Nashville Predators the year before. He also saw a massive drop-off in his defensive stats like hits and blocks. Buffalo fans were hoping for a rebound year when Franson returned to full health in 2016-17, but so far it has not come. Franson is on pace for just 25 points, which would be the lowest full-season total of his career. It would even be less than the 29 points he scored in 45 games in the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. He’s also way off pace from matching the dominant defensive numbers he put up in Toronto. Add in that these shortcoming are also going along with almost 19 minutes of ice time per game, the third highest average of his career, and clearly something is off with Franson.

Season Stats

47 games: 3 goals, 12 assists, 15 points, -1, 62 hits, 43 blocks, 18:46 ATOI

Potential Suitors

The first team that should jump out as a prime candidate is the Toronto Maple Leafs. A return to Toronto, where Franson had the best years of his career, could be exactly what he needs. When the Leafs dealt him away at the 2015 trade deadline, they were in full rebuild mode. However, they’ve turned it around faster than anyone could have imagined and are now looking for affordable help in trying to reach the playoffs. At a bargain price, Franson would be great value for Toronto as a player comfortable with the city and with several former teammates. Even in the midst of a down year, Franson would present an upgrade over any of Matt Hunwick, Roman Polak, Connor Carrick or the recently-claimed Alexey Marchenko.

The Los Angeles Kings are another club that could really use Franson’s services. The team has had to make due with the likes of Kevin Gravel and the recently-waived Tom Gilbert all season long on their bottom pair, but they are not a lock to make the playoffs and an upgrade on defense would go along way. As of now, Drew Doughty is the only right-handed defenseman on the roster. The Kings would gladly take Franson to add some depth and balance on the back end.

Other contenders that could be interested in Franson for the right price and purely as some added depth include Eastern Conference powerhouses like the Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and New York Rangers, but they might have to match the offers of teams in more dire need. The Sabres’ playoff chances are slim at this point, and they won’t be afraid to trade Franson to the division-rival Maple Leafs if that is who makes the best offer.

Likelihood Of A Trade

If a market develops, which it likely will, Franson will almost definitely be moved. He has been a disappointment with the Sabres and a rebuilding team will take any help they can get by moving out veterans with expiring contracts. It’s possible that Franson’s struggles will cause teams to shy away from acquiring him, but at just 29-years-old and with very good numbers in his past, the big blue liner has potential. Buffalo will not ask for much, but some team will pay to bring in what amounts to a very good depth defenseman for the stretch run. Still capable of solid two-way play with offensive upside in the right system, Franson is more valuable than his numbers indicate.

Seravalli’s Latest: Team Priorities Leading To The Trade Deadline

January 19, 2017 at 2:41 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

In his latest column, TSN’s Frank Seravalli looks at all 30 NHL teams (plus a note about the Vegas Golden Knights) and what their priorities are as they get closer to the deadline. The whole article is well worth the read but here is a sampling of some of the highlights:

While the Sabres are likely to move pending unrestricted free agents Cody Franson and Brian Gionta, center Zemgus Girgensons (who is set to be a restricted free agent) could be someone teams look at as a reclamation project. Girgensons had a breakout year under former coach Ted Nolan in 2014-15 but has struggled since Dan Bylsma has taken over. His role has considerably diminished this season which makes him an intriguing ‘change of scenery’ candidate.
The Blue Jackets could be poised to strike on what is shaping up to be a buyers’ market when it comes to goaltending. Given where the team finds themselves, Seravalli suggests that they may want a more proven backup behind Sergei Bobrovsky. Youngsters Anton Forsberg and Joonas Korpisalo are poised to battle for the number two job with Curtis McElhinney now in Toronto but neither have much NHL experience. One possible hiccup for Columbus could be the fact that a lot of the goalies believed to be available are signed beyond this season which may not appeal to them given the progress that Forsberg and Korpisalo have shown.
Although the Red Wings don’t appear to be entering selling mode any time soon, one area that GM Ken Holland may look to improve on is their cap situation. They have roughly $68MM committed for next year already (though Johan Franzen’s $3.95MM cap hit is including and he’ll be back on LTIR) and have a few restricted free agents including forwards Tomas Tatar and Andreas Athanasiou. If they want to entertain the idea of keeping pending UFA Thomas Vanek around, they’ll need to free up some money and this might be the right time to accomplish that.
Seravalli wonders if this might be the year for the Senators to consider dealing away their first round pick. With Clarke MacArthur’s concussion symptoms not subsiding as quickly as anyone hoped, there is a void on the left side that needs to be addressed and their trade assets (such as Curtis Lazar and Nick Paul) won’t be enough by themselves to secure a legitimate top winger.
With the Canucks not likely to really be buyers or sellers at the deadline, they could be a team in the market for a reclamation project or two to try along the Sedins, similar to what Edmonton did with Patrick Maroon last year, a move that has worked out quite well this season. However, considering that they’re unwilling to move draft picks this year, being able to bring a player like that in may prove to be a bit more difficult.

Injuries And Recalls: December 29

December 29, 2016 at 4:20 pm CDT | by Brett Barrett Leave a Comment

Injury Updates:

4:20pm: The Kings have activated defenseman Brayden McNabb off IR, Elliott Teaford of the Southern California News Group relays. He last played on October 29th before suffering a collarbone injury.
1:20pm: The Devils announced that center Jacob Josefson has been activated off of injured reserve. He had missed the last five games with a concussion and has two assists in 14 games this year.
11:17am: The Lightning announce that rookie forward Brayden Point will miss the next four-to-six weeks with an upper-body injury. Point has 15 points in 36 games so far this season.
10:28am: After leaving last night’s game, Florida Panthers center Sasha Barkov will undergo an MRI. This is according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, who says Barkov’s injury does not appear to be serious at this time. Barkov has been one of the Panthers’ few bright spots in an otherwise difficult year, with 27 points in 36 games. He will not be in the lineup on Thursday night when the Panthers host the Montreal Canadiens.
According to Bill Hoppe of the Buffalo Times-Herald, Sabres defenseman Dmitry Kulikov will be out of the lineup on Thursday night. Kulikov aggravated a prior back injury and will be replaced by Cody Franson, who is returning from a mid-to-lower-body injury. Kulikov was one of the Sabres’ bigger additions this past summer, but only has one assist in 20 games, and that came on Tuesday night.
Also via Hoppe, Tyler Ennis is once again skating with the team seven weeks after undergoing surgery. His initial timeline was around six weeks. There is no timetable for his return.
Oilers winger Iiro Pakarinen is skating, according to Mark Spector. Pakarinen has yet to play a game this season after suffering an ugly knee injury in a pre-season game versus the Kings on October 2. He has 16 points in 80 games over the past two seasons with the Oilers.

Recalls:

5:20pm: The Minnesota Wild announced that they have demoted forward Kurtis Gabriel to the AHL’s Iowa Wild. The 2013 third-round pick recorded his first NHL point while on recall, an assist in an early December win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but has failed to build on that. He has just the one point in 13 games with Minnesota over the past two seasons. The fourth liner was averaging just under six minutes of ice time so far this season. Not known for his offensive ability, the 23-year-old Gabriel will have to prove in the AHL that he is an NHL-caliber checker to earn another shot.
In light of Point’s injury, the Lightning have recalled Erik Condra and Yanni Gourde from Syracuse. Condra has played seven games for the Bolts so far this season, but has been held pointless. He does have 19 points in 21 AHL games. Gourde has just two NHL games under his belt, both last season. He has 26 points in 29 AHL games so far.
Columbus has recalled left winger Markus Hannikainen as they look to win their fourteenth straight game. He’s not expected to be in the lineup on Thursday night versus the Jets. Hannikainen has no points in five NHL appearances this season, but has 13 points in 23 AHL games in Cleveland.
The Panthers have recalled Michael Sgarbossa to fill Barkov’s roster spot, according to NBC Sports. The Panthers originally acquired Sgarbossa last month from the Ducks. He has 12 points in 14 games for the Panthers’ AHL affiliate.

Injury Updates: Sabres, Senators, Blues

December 28, 2016 at 1:34 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

Injury updates around the NHL today:

Buffalo Sabres defenseman Cody Franson is close to returning from a “mid- to lower-body” injury, reports John Vogl of the Buffalo News. Franson has missed the past three games with the semi-undisclosed injury right before the holidays. Franson has 1G and 7A in 31 games for the Sabres, but only 1 powerplay point all year. The 29 year-old defenseman will look to improve those numbers upon his return.
Staying with the Buffalo Sabres, forward Tyler Ennis is “7–10 days” from returning to practice, reports the NHL’s Bill Hoppe. Ennis is currently out with a sports hernia suffered in early November, and is sorely missed. The Sabres are 29th in scoring this season, and while Ennis only had 1G and 1A in 12 games before his injury, he led the team in scoring two years ago. Ennis played only 23 games last season, and he’ll need to rebound this season if the Sabres hope to progress in their rebuild.
The Ottawa Senators do not expect forward Clarke MacArthur back before mid-January, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. MacArthur has been sidelined with a concussion since the the season’s start, but has skated regularly with the team as of late. He joins in on most Senators’ non-contact drills but hasn’t made the jump to sustained physical contact yet. Ottawa must be careful with MacArthur because he has a history of concussion problems. He missed all but four games last season with concussion symptoms.
Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher also do not expect goaltender Craig Anderson back “for awhile”, reports the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch. Anderson left the team to be with his wife Nicole as she battles cancer. Anderson has left the team for short stints before but this absence looks to be an extended one. The Senators acquired goalie Mike Condon from the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 5th round draft pick and the goalie has been thrust into the starting role.
Adding to the Sens roster woes is forward Zack Smith will miss at least two games with an abdominal strain, reports the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. Smith suffered the injury Tuesday night against the New York Rangers. Smith has 8G and 7A in 35 games. Smith is looking to build on his surprising goal-scoring prowess last year—he scored 25 goals in 81 games.
The St. Louis Blues have activated forward Paul Stastny from Injured Reserve, reports NHL.com’s Lou Korac. Stastny suffered an upper-body injury on December 20th against the Dallas Stars. Because of the NHL’s three-day holiday break, Stastny has only missed one game—a 5-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightning—and will return against the Philadelphia Flyers tonight.

Poll: 2005 NHL Draft Take Two: Twenty-Sixth Overall Pick

December 25, 2016 at 7:00 pm CDT | by natebrown 5 Comments

Hindsight is an amazing thing, and allows us to look back and wonder “what could have been.” Though perfection is attempted, scouting and draft selection is far from an exact science and sometimes, it doesn’t work out the way teams – or players – intended. For every Patrick Kane, there is a Patrik Stefan.

We’re looking back at the 2005 NHL Draft, which kicked off the salary cap era and ushered in many of the current NHL superstars. The question we’re looking to answer is knowing now what we didn’t know then, how different would this draft look now with the benefit of hindsight?

Here are the results of our redraft so far:

1st Overall: Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
2nd Overall: Carey Price (Mighty Ducks of Anaheim)
3rd Overall: Anze Kopitar (Carolina Hurricanes)
4th Overall: Jonathan Quick (Minnesota Wild)
5th Overall: Kris Letang (Montreal Canadiens)
6th Overall: Tuukka Rask (Columbus Blue Jackets)
7th Overall: Bobby Ryan (Chicago Blackhawks)
8th Overall: Marc-Edouard Vlasic (San Jose Sharks)
9th Overall: Ben Bishop (Ottawa Senators)
10th Overall: James Neal (Vancouver Canucks)
11th Overall: T.J. Oshie (Los Angeles Kings)
12th Overall: Keith Yandle (New York Rangers)
13th Overall: Paul Stastny (Buffalo Sabres)
14th Overall: Marc Staal (Washington Capitals)
15th Overall: Patric Hornqvist (New York Islanders)
16th Overall: Niklas Hjalmarsson (Atlanta Thrashers)
17th Overall: Anton Stralman (Phoenix Coyotes)
18th Overall: Jack Johnson (Nashville Predators)
19th Overall: Matt Niskanen (Detroit Red Wings)
20th Overall: Justin Abdelkader (Florida Panthers)
21st Overall: Martin Hanzal (Toronto Maple Leafs)
22nd Overall: Andrew Cogliano (Boston Bruins)
23rd Overall: Kris Russell (New Jersey Devils)
24th Overall: Darren Helm (St. Louis Blues)
25th Overall: Cody Franson (Edmonton Oilers)

Now we move forward to the 26th pick, which was held by the Calgary Flames.

To recap how this works:

We will go through the 2005 NHL Draft and have our readers select, through a voting process, who they think should have been taken with the selection.
The entire first round will be redrafted, spanning picks one through thirty. The new selection is chosen by the majority of votes.

Back in 2005, the Flames took defenseman Matt Pelech from the Sarnia Sting. Since being drafted, Pelech played a total of 13 games in the NHL, tallying four points (1-3). Of those 13 games, Pelech spent five with the Flames and the other eight with San Jose. During the 2013-14 season, Pelech spent time in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies after playing for both San Jose and its AHL affiliate Worcester. A season later, Pelech recorded 39 games with the Rochester Americans. Last season, Pelech appeared in 49 games for the Schwenningen Wild Wings in the DEL (Germany) and has played the current season with Graz EC in the Austrian league.

With the 26th pick of the 2005 NHL Redraft, who should the Flames select? Cast your vote below! Mobile users, you can vote here!

Snapshots: Parise, Franson, Toffoli

December 22, 2016 at 7:08 pm CDT | by Mike Furlano Leave a Comment

News and notes from around the NHL this evening:

Minnesota Wild forward Zach Parise missed tonight’s game against the Montreal Canadiens. Minnesota Wild Digital Content Coordinator says that Parise has been battling strep throat for weeks, and it is the cause of tonight’s scratch. Parise is off to a slow start this season with only 5G and 8A in 24 games, and on pace for his worst statistical season since his rookie year.
Buffalo Sabres defenseman Cody Franson was a late scratch in tonight’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Franson was initially pencilled into the lineup and even skated during the warmup drills, but must have suffered an injury before the game started. Justin Falk, who was initially scratched, replaces Franson in the lineup.
The Los Angeles Kings announced that Tyler Toffoli is considered day-to-day with a lower body injury, reports Helene Elliot of the LA Times. Toffoli has had a decent season so far, scoring 8G and 12A in 32 games. The Kings forward is in his final year of his RFA deal which pays him $3.25MM a year. Toffoli is eligible for arbitration, but with approximately $60MM on the books already for next year, it’s unclear whether the Kings have the resources to Toffoli any sort of raise.

Atlantic Notes: Hyman, Detroit Goaltending, Marchessault, Franson

December 13, 2016 at 2:50 pm CDT | by Brian La Rose Leave a Comment

Although his professional career is just getting started, Toronto forward Zach Hyman already has a pretty good fallback plan for life after hockey. As Amalie Benjamin of NHL.com writes, Hyman spends some of his time away from the rink writing children’s books. He already has published two while a third is expected to be available in early 2017 and a fourth is already in the works.

While his hockey career is at the forefront right now, Hyman realizes his writing will ultimately last longer than his playing days and he’s appreciative of being able to do both:

“Writing is going to last longer than hockey. You can’t play hockey forever, but [you] definitely can write forever. Just enjoying it; it’s amazing. I get to live the life of a hockey player and also have writing. It’s pretty special. I’m really lucky.”

This is Hyman’s first full NHL season and he has made the most of it so far. While he has just nine points in 27 games, he has earned the trust of the coaching staff, particularly on the penalty kill as he leads all Toronto forwards in shorthanded ice time per game.

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