Franson Finally Signs On the Dotted Line

There was finally some resolution to the tension between the Toronto Maple Leafs and restricted free agent defenseman Cody Franson, as the two sides finally came together and agreed to a new 1-year deal, worth $2 million.  The Leafs and Franson had been at odds over the length and value over the deal, to the point where Franson had not participated any at training camp or preseason action.

In the 2013 season, Franson scored 4 goals and added 25 assists in 45 games for Toronto, finishing 127th in pool scoring, 8th among defensemen overall.  The new deal, under the expectation of these numbers again, will be a huge bargain for the cap space strapped Leafs, but could be rewarded with a better deal for the 2015 season.

With the signing, I have given Franson a projection in the 45-point range, which is among the better defensemen in my projections, as he was such a good fit with the team and I think the team got better around him.  I think this will be a good year for him and the Leafs.

With the signing now signed and sealed, there was a huge sigh of relief from Mike's camp in the draft. Mike chose Franson in the 6th round, 134th overall and the 21st defenseman taken, so there was some importance in his signing.

With the projection now added, Mike moved up in my projected final standings, but he still remains near the bottom.  I have his team projected at 620 points, which is 21st in the projected standings.  That's just my best guess.  Also, with the cap hit added, Mike, who already had the cheapest team in the draft, now moves to a 2014 cap hit of $42.9 million for his 14 players, well back of Dale B., who leads the pool with a cap value of $66.4 million.