Are the Maple Leafs Shopping Cody Franson?
It’s nothing new that Cody Franson was the gem in the July trade that sent Brett Lebda and a prospect to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Matthew Lombardi’s contract and a young stud by the name of Cody Franson to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
But it’s also nothing new the way the story of Franson has panned out so far in Toronto… and if you by chanced missed it, Franson has only played 3 games (recorded 1 point) so far and the season is about 10% already done. For obvious reasons Franson is not happy at all and the thing that makes sense right now is to move Franson since you have other talents such as Jake Gardiner and Jesse Blacker who are both top 4 defenceman down the road. Plus its seems wrong to me to have that kind of talent Franson has, not on the ice.
The leafs indeed have depth on defense so keep a watch as this situation could very well develop quickly. There are struggling teams out there that want to add to their defence core as soon as possible. Franson could be the solution to their problems… who knows… but teams such as Montreal Canadiens, Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Rangers are looking to shake things up on their back end.
From Pierre Lebrun at ESPN/TSN:
“I heard from sources on other teams Monday that Gauthier was phoning around looking for help on defense. The thing is, he is not alone. Tampa and the New York Rangers are among the other teams also looking for blue-line help. It just so happens that Cody Franson is available in Toronto, although I am not sure whether any of those three teams have interest in him.”
Long term I think Franson is a valuable top 4 defenceman. He is one player that I would want on my team long term because he gives you the a balance of size, offense and defense and that is a statement that you cannot argue with.
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2 Rants to “Are the Maple Leafs Shopping Cody Franson?”
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Agree 100% Cody Franson definitely has what it takes to be a top 4 D-man in the NHL. The sooner he gets out of TO the better, Burke definitely surprised a lot of people by this move. It is shocking to me that a team with such a storied history would pull such a move, it’s not like Franson was just an added piece to a bigger trade and to have that talent sitting in a suit every night and not pulling on an NHL jersey is a huge waste. Matbe TO should be looking to make moves higher up….. Burke and Wilson!
thanks for the reply bud, loved everything you said cuz it is the truth. As for Burke and Wilson I’d keep Burke in a heart beat, but Wilson is expendable