Restricted free agency has been somewhat of a process for defenseman Cody Franson. Between his days in Nashville and the last few Summers in Toronto, Franson hasn't had the easiest time with signing new deals, but fortunately, the deal that he signed on Monday will be the last time he'll face restricted free agency, as he will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2015.
Franson's new deal is a 1-year deal, worth $3.3 million, getting a raise from his $2 million deal he signed for the 2014 season.
In the 2014 season, Franson played in 79 games for the Leafs, scoring 5 goals and 33 points, which was good enough for 43rd among all defensemen in scoring. Franson had a really strong year in the shortened 2013 season, where he ranked 8th among defensmen in scoring, so there may be a little bit of justified anxiousness giving him a long-term deal, but he has been decent in the past couple of seasons and worthy of some greater expectations.
The signing of Franson means that there is only a couple of key restricted free agents left on the Leafs' docket in Jake Gardiner and James Reimer and Reimer is due for arbitration next week. I currently have the Leafs projected roster up with 16 players, not including some of the European talent they have signed in the off-season, tallying $54.5 million against the cap. The team has some players on the list who will likely fill in some of those gaps, but I wouldn't feel comfortable saying who will fit in and who will go home sulking.The Leafs have $14.5 million in cap space to fill those seven spots, including Gardiner and Reimer's spot, although the likely trade of Reimer will adjust those numbers again, after it is all said and done.
No comments:
Post a Comment