Cody Franson Interview

by PPP on Jul 6, 2011 8:29 PM EDT

Cody Franson was out in Calgary for a charity golf tournament with Mike Green. Turns out they're good friends that train together during the summer. Pat Steinberg of 960AM interviewed him on a number of topics. It's a really good, open interview that gives some great insight on Franson's career path thus far.

One of the big benefits that he identifies is his time in Milwaukee. He says that it was excellent for his overall development because he was forced to play big minutes and allowed to work on different aspects of the game that he might not have otherwise if he had started in the NHL in minimal minutes. Franson spoke about how it really hammered home that you had to earn everything in the NHL. Think about that when Burke is bringing in veteran players to push kids down the depth chart or onto the Marlies. He obviously had a lot of great things to say about Barry Trotz who is almost universally liked in the NHL.

His discussion on the trade to Toronto is particularly open. He goes through his emotions that he went through in the aftermath in a very candid fashion. All in all, it's well worth a listen.

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Toronto offered something we couldn’t refuse

/spit take

Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me

by JaredFromLondon on Jul 6, 2011 8:31 PM EDT reply actions 8 recs

hahaha

LEBDA!

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Like reading thoughts confined to 140 characters? I'm on Twitter too.

by PPP on Jul 6, 2011 8:31 PM EDT up reply actions

I actually had to pause the interview I was giggling so much.

Not Liking Nikolai Kulemin Means You Have No Soul

by Clawson on Jul 6, 2011 8:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Weird.

Given recent transactions I assumed it was Washington that had hired Luca Brasi.

Purveyor of Pension Plan Puppets Podcast Post-Production

by puckurgently on Jul 6, 2011 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs

lol rec’d. I thought the same thing.

by Theodles on Jul 6, 2011 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions

He sounds pretty excited to have a chance at a fresh start to prove that he is ready for big responsibilities.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Like reading thoughts confined to 140 characters? I'm on Twitter too.

by PPP on Jul 6, 2011 8:31 PM EDT reply actions

very down to earth and intelligent sounding kid, I like how confident he is without being cocky

Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me

by JaredFromLondon on Jul 6, 2011 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Unlike Kadri, who oozes cockiness regardless of what he says or does

by Theodles on Jul 6, 2011 9:21 PM EDT up reply actions

believe it or not, cockiness in a pro athlete isn’t always a bad thing, confidence is key and thats how some people are when they are confident

Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me

by JaredFromLondon on Jul 6, 2011 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I was just teasing. I guess I didn’t make my comment ridiculous enough. Should have mentioned the crack thing ;)

by Theodles on Jul 6, 2011 9:28 PM EDT up reply actions

oh i know, I was just getting that out there, some people seem convinced that if a player is cocky it is a pure detriment

Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me

by JaredFromLondon on Jul 6, 2011 9:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Remember

He is a poor skater and was 7th in minutes in Nashville on D, so don’t expect him to be much more than that here. He’ll help on special teams, but 5 on 5 he’s got a lot to improve on. Keep your hopes realistic.

by dsciswe on Jul 6, 2011 11:35 PM EDT up reply actions

7th in minutes?

he was 5th during the playoffs in ES TOI for D men, and 4th in 5v4 PP TOI for D men… doesn’t sound like he was 7th.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions

stop saying he is a poor skater, you have no proof of this, none
he isn’t a fantastic skater but all signs point to him being average for a big fella

Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me

by JaredFromLondon on Jul 6, 2011 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Brett “Triple Lutz” Lebda farts in your general direction.

Follow someone else on Twitter.

by not norm ullman on Jul 7, 2011 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions

you rang?

Popped a Colboner - Certified Joe Colborne Fanboy

03/08/2011 - I saw THE Wookie score his 1st NHL goal.

03/19/2011 - Watched Kadri's 1st NHL goal from the West Bank

Twitter me this.

by happiergilmore on Jul 7, 2011 12:50 AM EDT up reply actions

Show me some examples of his poor skating beyond what you heard other people say

he looks just fine on these plays

Crazy would be NOT overanalyzing everything.
Lebda-free since July 3.

by nhlcheapshot on Jul 7, 2011 6:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Sure looks like a poor skater to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkEXnbrF2ao

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by CanadianMaple09 on Jul 7, 2011 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions

I remember Cherry saying about the same thing when the media was giving Kadri a hard time

[insert witty remark about being on twitter here]

by Tickle Me Aulie on Jul 6, 2011 9:31 PM EDT up reply actions

Barry Trotz

Is one of the best coaches in hockey.

by NatsMaslund on Jul 6, 2011 10:11 PM EDT reply actions

is he though

is he really?

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:23 PM EDT up reply actions

it's not like he has zero talent on his team

Weber, Suter, Rinne.. he’s got a pretty ridiculous D corps to be honest.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions

Weber has had high praise for him. One of the things Weber said is that Trotz is a master at getting the most out of his roster; every fall he takes a look at how the roster is constructed and changes the team’s strategy to best suit the players he’s been given.

I'm on Twitter too! - draglikepull

by Draglikepull on Jul 6, 2011 10:36 PM EDT up reply actions

According to capgeek Lebda is the second highest paid dman on the predators.

by jeffgm on Jul 6, 2011 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions

Weber hasn’t re-signed yet.

Crazy would be NOT overanalyzing everything.
Lebda-free since July 3.

by nhlcheapshot on Jul 7, 2011 5:55 AM EDT up reply actions

fair enough

I just think it helps a lot to have norris trophy candidates on D and vezina caliber goaltending between the pipes.

Good coaching often = good D and goalies.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions

if the Leafs had

the likes of Chara and Thomas… people would talk about Wilson for the Jack Adams.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:39 PM EDT up reply actions

I think

the best way for the Leafs to become awesome is to find a norris candidate like Lidstrom and a goalie like oh… Brodeur or Hasek… then we’re going to win Stanley Cups!

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions

and the rest of it won't matter

because free agents will WANT to play here (for realz).

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions

speaking of this

does anyone remember when Dion was a norris candidate? too bad that was so damn long ago…. and nobody cared that he sucked in his own end.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I'm waiting for someone to do a post on: Does coaching matter??

I have a feeling it won’t happen because there are no advanced stats to back anything up. However, there seems to be a pervasive belief around here that players have a static skill level (or age-based curve, let’s say) and this can’t be influenced by coaching strategies and tactics. It doesn’t matter if it’s Ron Wilson, Nick Beverly or Scotty Bowman, the players will perform the same either way. Is this fair? Surely some coaches are better at actualizing the potential of players and this will lead to better individual – and hopefully team – results.

Also, line combinations (as illustrated by the MGK post) can also greatly alter an individual’s stats / production – and some credit / blame for that does have to go to the coaching staff.

The same goes for changes in a player’s approach to the game that results in a change to their stat pattern. Could it not be that the coach was the one who influenced that change, positively or negatively? I’m really looking forward to seeing the Leafs special teams this year with the overhaul of the coaching staff. Of course if Liles or Franson have an amazing year on special teams, we’ll see them get all the credit.

Any thoughts?

by GettinGiggy on Jul 7, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions

Coaching matters but no matter of coaching at the professional level turns chicken shit into chicken salad.

Pension Plan Puppets: A Toronto Maple Leafs blog and a group therapy session.
Like reading thoughts confined to 140 characters? I'm on Twitter too.

by PPP on Jul 7, 2011 12:27 PM EDT up reply actions

I think at the professional level the margin between what you are calling shit and salad is pretty thin. I mean, we say things like “Brett Lebda is bad at hockey” but in fact, he is really really good at hockey. He would not be in the NHL (or even AHL) if he wasn’t. He’s just not as good relatively as we would like him to be, I suppose. Anyway, about coaching: I think it can make a big difference if the coaching is especially poor, or especially good. I think, for example, Barry Melrose was a horrible coach in TB. He might have been ok back in the day, but he’s clearly not good at dealing with this generation of athletes. I wouldn’t attribute the ups and downs of Lecavalier and St. Louis ONLY to coaching, but I think it’s a big part of it.

by Leaf in Habland on Jul 7, 2011 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

But if Wilson was coaching the predators than he would lead them to cup

by jeffgm on Jul 6, 2011 10:40 PM EDT up reply actions

What’s the story on Dupuis – is he an upgrade compared to boyce, brent or hanson?

by jeffgm on Jul 6, 2011 10:42 PM EDT reply actions

nope

nope and nope.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:45 PM EDT up reply actions

2 way deal

and he’s kinda crap… but he hits a lot… not as much as brown.. but he’s a decent skater… not so great at faceoffs… plays shit competition and didn’t do particularly well.

Basically he’s a garbage time player that may or may not see much ice in Toronto (he’ll get more if he’s on the Marlies).

Boyce might still be re-signed… same for Crabb and Lashoff.

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

- Sir Winston Churchill

I'm pretty sure he's talking about the Leafs.

by Steve Burtch on Jul 6, 2011 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Love this guy already.

I think he will be a nice peice in our back end.

by Jt Malley on Jul 6, 2011 10:58 PM EDT reply actions

TWSS x2

Popped a Colboner - Certified Joe Colborne Fanboy

03/08/2011 - I saw THE Wookie score his 1st NHL goal.

03/19/2011 - Watched Kadri's 1st NHL goal from the West Bank

Twitter me this.

by happiergilmore on Jul 6, 2011 11:03 PM EDT up reply actions 9 recs

Wow.

Let the Wookie win.
Twitter is a thing!

by Kenjamin on Jul 7, 2011 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions

sorry, TWSS means what again?

"There's been four different Cup winners the last four years, and I got one of them (Anaheim) and it was a fighting team. We're playing it that way regardless." - B. Burke, Toronto Maple Leafs GM

by BlueBuds on Jul 7, 2011 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions

that’s what she said

Don't follow me on twitter: @theninjagreg

by theninjagreg on Jul 7, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAAi_42uIkQ

History. Leafs. Drawing. In no particular order!
My Portfolio

by CanadianMaple09 on Jul 7, 2011 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Why is there always one person who “dislikes” awesome Youtube clips?

by Leaf in Habland on Jul 7, 2011 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions

No idea, but I really want to hunt that one person down.

History. Leafs. Drawing. In no particular order!
My Portfolio

by CanadianMaple09 on Jul 7, 2011 11:18 PM EDT up reply actions

Numerous people have said that the main strength of Nashville’s organization is that young guys really have to work their asses off in the AHL to earn a spot on the preds.

by CamShaft on Jul 7, 2011 12:30 AM EDT reply actions