Nashville Predators sign Cody Franson to two-year contract

by Dirk Hoag on Sep 8, 2010 12:17 PM EDT

Josh Cooper reports this morning that defenseman Cody Franson has re-upped with the Nashville Predators for two years, at $800,000 each. Since he's now eligible for waivers, Franson is expected to be a full-time NHL player from here forward.

Cody Franson

#32 / Defenseman / Nashville Predators

Height: 6-5

Weight: 213

Born: Aug 08, 1987

I'll update with more once we get the press release from the team, but it suffices to say this is a very good deal for Nashville. They buy time to find out if Franson can step into a larger role on the team, without having to make an overly-large financial commitment. Remember, Ville Koistinen put up a very similar rookie performance with the Preds back in 2007-8, but flamed out shortly afterward.

Make sure to check out the season preview which Chris wrote about Cody late last month!

The team's press release follows...

Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced today that the club has signed defenseman Cody Franson to a two-year, $1.6 million contract.

Franson, 23 (8/8/87) posted 21 points (6g-15a) in 61 contests for the Predators a season ago, becoming just the second rookie defenseman in franchise history to hit the 20-point mark (Dan Hamhuis, 2003-04), tying for fourth among first-year blueliners in points, and ranking third in goals. The 6-5, 213-pound native of Sicamous, B.C., also led all rookies and ranked second on the team in plus/minus rating (+15), and paced all rookie defensemen in game-winning goals (3) in 2009-10. Franson played in four of Nashville's six postseason games this past spring, notching his first career playoff point/assist in Game One of the Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Chicago.

Nashville's third choice, 79th overall (third round), in the 2005 Entry Draft spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals before moving onto Nashville, being named a Second-Team AHL All-Star in 2008-09 and to the AHL All-Rookie Team in 2007-08. Franson capped his amateur career by winning the 2007 Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants (WHL), being named to the tournament's all-star team, and a gold medal at the 2007 World Junior Championships. He also appeared in the 2006 Memorial Cup, leading all defensemen in scoring in both that tournament and the WHL Playoffs.

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Comments

Finally!!

This makes me happy

by Samourai on Sep 8, 2010 12:26 PM EDT reply actions

...

Once again, well done David Poile. This is a good value for a player who was typically more effecting than anyone but Hornqvist on the Predators’ power play and led rookies in +/-.

It’s a cheaper deal than Ryan Parent’s, and it enables Franson to prove his worth further before being rewarded with a Kevin Klein-type deal.

In summary:

by Chris Burton on Sep 8, 2010 12:35 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Impressed with the deal

Glad to see this get worked out.

"Strikeouts are boring! Besides that, they're fascist. Throw some ground balls - it's more democratic."

by MinnesotaRoyal on Sep 8, 2010 12:46 PM EDT reply actions

Good deal for us...

I just hope CF doesn’t get pissed off cause we’re kind of low-balling him. Solid 2 year deal though.

by Pekka for Predator Pontiff on Sep 8, 2010 12:57 PM EDT reply actions

Wow. Great deal for us.

Just over a month before the awesomeness begins!

Christie kicks it high and short...Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25...He dishes it back to Wycheck...He throws it across the field to Dyson...

www.manningface.com

by Michaeltastic on Sep 8, 2010 1:10 PM EDT via mobile reply actions

Done Deal

Agree with the solid 2 year deal for a quality D man, in a team that has very nice prospects in the defense department. CF has to realize this – the depth that the Pred’s have in D men, he couldn’t really hold out for more $$. Now go out and use that 6’ 5" frame !!

by XVIII on Sep 8, 2010 1:16 PM EDT reply actions

The Poile strikes again!

I wonder if he has dirt on all these guys. He sure is doing a brilliant job on the contracts. I like Cody. I hope he can put up some numbers, bulk up and be on the team for a long time.

by cisar on Sep 8, 2010 2:37 PM EDT reply actions

There’s a reason he was nominated for General Manager of the Year in the award’s first year.

by Chris Burton on Sep 8, 2010 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I just wish more of our fan base understood why. Who else makes deals like this on a daily basis and gets away with it? Other than the Legwand and Erat deals that now don’t make much sense (but then, when we were having to scramble to make the cap floor made alot of sense,) Poile makes some seriously genius deals.

by TitanPredBearFan on Sep 8, 2010 5:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Not only that, but the ability to turn an old and broken Jason Arnott into Matt Halischuk, Matt Lombardi, a 2nd round pick, and $1 million is pretty astounding. In fact, that’s downright awesome.

by Chris Burton on Sep 8, 2010 5:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I wish Josh Cooper...

…would post exactly what you just posted on the front page of the Tennessean. More fans need to be aware of just what a magician the man is cause that right there is just pure awesomeness:))

by TitanPredBearFan on Sep 8, 2010 6:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Besides turning Arnott into all that, he also got Ryan Parent and Sergei Kostitsyn for free because everyone knew that Hamhuis, Ellis, and Boyd were not coming back.

by Chris Burton on Sep 8, 2010 6:47 PM EDT up reply actions