The Toronto Maple Leafs have signed restricted free agent Cody Franson to a one year deal. There were a few tweets that tipped us off to the dollar figure and term. The official signing was held off until the Memorandum Of Understanding between the NHL and PA was signed off on by both parties.
When deals can be officially done after midnight ET, TOR expected to announce signing of two defencemen - Cody Franson and Mike Mottau.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 13, 2013
Franson's deal is believed to be one year, $1.2M. Mottau's is believed to be one year, two-way deal, $850K in NHL.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) January 13, 2013
Franson signed 1-year contract last night but won't be at #Leafs camp until tomorrow. Traveling from Sweden.
— Michael Traikos (@Michael_Traikos) January 13, 2013
When Franson was acquired from the Nashville Predators for Brett Lebda there was obviously some laughter. The book on Franson wasn't the greatest although he certainly deserved a shot at being a part of the top six. Of course, his acquisition also lead to the awful Bill Watters gay joke passed off with a bullshit excuse that was thoroughly destroyed by the Cox Bloc boys.
Franson will be returning from Sweden where he signed with Brynas IF Gavle. He picked up 7 points in 26 games while overseas. Cody Franson has been number seven on our list of the Maple Leafs Top 25 Under 25 in both our inaugural February edition and in the latest August edition. Gus Katsaros had a good scouting breakdown which shows that Franson, while not a defensive powerhouse, should still be a solid contributor for the Maple Leafs.
Last Year
The other good news is that at the end of this contract Franson will remain a restricted free agent. This gives the Leafs' continued control of him while not committing too much to determine whether Franson has a long term future with the club.