Montreal Canadiens: Making a claim on Cody Franson
By Omar L
Cody Franson has gotten a lot of traction since being placed on waivers by the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday. Should the Montreal Canadiens take a shot?
There haven’t been too many names on waivers this season who would benefit the Montreal Canadiens. However, Cody Franson is an interesting case. The 30-year-old came off two okay seasons with the Buffalo Sabres to earning himself a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
A lot of fans from various teams are looking into how or whether Franson will fit on their team. Let’s break it down. First off, it’s pretty suspect that he’s even in this position in the first place considering how thin the Blackhawks are on defence.
He was an effective defenceman for Chicago, more so at the beginning of the season and especially on the power play. Franson has played in 23 games for the Blackhawks scoring one goal and six assists.
Unfortunately, father time has caught up with Franson, and he has lost the speed that he had in his years with the Toronto Maple Leafs. On the other hand, he helps the other four players on the team with possession which is key in the modern era of the NHL.
The question is whether there’s a fit for him on the Habs or not.
Andrew Zadarnowski of Habs Eyes on the Prize is a good source for past information if you haven’t followed him yet, but he tweeted this yesterday after the news on Franson broke.
Remember when Marc Bergevin was going to trade Josh Gorges for Cody Franson in 2014, but Gorges turned down the trade? Well now Bergevin has another chance to get the player he coveted. Will he? Don't think so... but it certainly wouldn't be a huge shock if he did.
— Andrew Zadarnowski (@AZadarski) January 8, 2018
So there’s been interest in the BC native before, however, that before was four years ago. Even though Franson doesn’t have the same wheels anymore, that could be fixed by pairing him with someone who can skate. Victor Mete, Jakub Jerabek, or David Schlemko come to mind.
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Unfortunately, with Mete set to return to the Habs on Friday, management may not see a fit for him. We also have to consider if Claude Julien would even choose to play him if the Habs did claim him.
Is Franson an improvement on a player like Joseph Morrow? Probably. I don’t think it’s unfair to say that he’s more reliable than Morrow. If Marc Bergevin is committed to making a push for the playoffs, this could be an addition that could help the Habs for the better.
It’ll be interesting to see where Franson ends up by noon. Based on the Habs’ position, they’ll have one of the first cracks at claiming him.
Do you think the Habs should claim Franson? If so, where does he fit? Let us know in the comments below.