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After losing out on the Johnny Oduya sweepstakes, the Buffalo Sabres are forced to turn elsewhere in their search for a leading blueliner. The solution for the Sabres is either trade or free agency signing. With Cody Franson still available, on the free agent market the Sabres can find their option without giving up any other assets.
The Buffalo Sabres have uniquely rebuilt their team and are almost ready to put the whole puzzle on the ice. The top 6 is chalked full of exceptional talent, the blue line is filled with young prospects full of potential and they have a new goaltender who is looking for a chance to prove his worth. The only thing missing from the Sabres puzzle is a veteran presence up front on the blue line.
With the play of Mark Pysyk over the last couple of years, it would not be a surprise to see him crack the roster out of camp. Adding Pysyk to Rasmus Ristolainen, Zach Bogosian and Josh Gorges, gives the Sabres a pretty solid top 4.
However, the Sabres have a major hole on the left side. Only Josh Gorges and Mike Weber play the left side naturally, and while moving Ristolainen to his off side could work, it’s not ideal.
While Murray and the Sabres are looking for a top-four left-handed defenceman, their answer may lie in the right-handed Cody Franson.
Franson began last season in Toronto and played his way into big minutes as one of the blue and white’s most reliable defensemen. He was dealt to Nashville at the deadline and saw a significant drop-off in his game. The drop-off, however, can be blamed to a poor fit and the wrong usage in Nashville.
Franson is a good puck-moving defenseman who isn’t afraid to get involved in the offence and lower the boom on the opposition. He had a career-high 36 points last season as he stepped up his game in hopes of a long-term deal.
When it comes to free agent “D”, Franson is one of the biggest fish still on the market, but could easily be had on a short-term deal for more money at this point.
Bringing in the 27-year old will provide some veteran leadership for a very young team and blue line. He can provide a spark on offence, be useful on the power play and play a very physical game.
The Sabres have built themselves a dynamic blue line filled with physical guys who skate well. Having a guy like Franson who can jump into the offence would be a nice replacement for Nikita Zadorov.
If the Sabres do acquire Franson, they will need to make some moves with their inner blue line. Either moving Pysyk or Ristolainen to the left side. Pysyk did play on the left side at times with the Rochester Americans. It would also buy Jake McCabe another year in Rochester to further develop his game before taking the next step.
The Buffalo Sabres are in need of help on the blue line and landing Cody Franson can give the team options. Franson is a good 2nd pairing guy who brings veteran leadership, has an offencive touch and plays a physical style of hockey. He doesn’t solve the left-handed issue alone, but he makes the Sabres blue line tougher to face.
