Toronto Maple Leafs: Should the Leafs Claim Cody Franson?

This morning, The Chicago Blackhawks announced that they had placed former- Leafs defenceman Cody Franson on waivers.

Naturally, my brain immediately defaulted to wondering how this could impact the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Franson is a right-handed defenceman, which happens to be an organizational need, making a paltry $1 million. If that isn’t enough, thanks to waivers, he could potentially be acquired without giving up anything.

It seemed like an obvious move until I took a second to do something I rarely have the time to anymore: use my brain.

In doing so, I came to a conclusion. The Leafs should absolutely target Franson. They just shouldn’t claim him on waivers.

Allow me to explain.

Is Franson Worth Getting?

From a purely production-based standpoint, Franson would be a fantastic addition to this Leafs team.

In 2017-18, he’s been a Corsi God™, posting a remarkable CF/60 rating of 59.9%. For a third pairing defenceman, that is simply amazing. To compare, in roughly the same amount of ice time this season, Roman Polak has posted a dismal 47.7% CF/60.

Frankly, I’m shocked it’s that high.

Despite logging an average of just 16:37 per night across 23 games, Franson has managed to chip in a respectable 7 points. In an 82 game season, that’s approximately 24 points. Not too shabby.

Getting that level of production from one of your third pairing D-man could be invaluable. In fact, it could even work to push a team across the threshold of being merely “good” and enter “great” territory.

So, why shouldn’t the Leafs claim him? Why pass on the opportunity to add a piece like Franson for free?

The answer, my friends, is found on CapFriendly.com.

Contract Limit

Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, every NHL team is endowed with a limit of 50 contracts they can have occupying their books at any given time.

Currently, the Leafs have 50, rendering them unable to simply take on Franson’s contract without simultaneously giving up another one of their own. In that case, claiming him is no longer an option.

Remember the Calvin Pickard trade? Vegas placed him on waivers, causing everyone and their dog to beg the Leafs to claim him. There’s no way a capable goalie such as Pickard would clear waivers, right?

Well, despite approximately half the NHL being in need of goalie depth (looking at you, Edmonton), he did.

24 hours later, the Leafs pounced, acquiring Pickard from for the paltry price of Tobias Lindberg and a conditional 6th round pick. Lindberg, a product of the deliciously masterful Dion Phaneuf trade, stood precisely no chance of even sniffing the Leafs roster.

If Kasperi Kapanen can’t hold down a lineup spot, Lindberg never would.

Instead, the Leafs used Pickard clearing as an opportunity to unload a contract which was essentially dead weight. In exchange, they received an asset in Pickard, one who could be of great value to them down the road.

And that, my friends, is exactly what the Leafs should do with Franson.

Who Would Chicago Want?

The Leafs find themselves in a wonderful position with Franson.

They aren’t in desperate need of him. Yes, it would be lovely to get him, but if they happened to miss out, it wouldn’t exactly be a fatal blow. After seeing how well Travis Dermott performed in his debut, the team has effective RHD options not named “Polak”.

So, who would the Leafs need to give up to get Franson?

Well, considering Chicago is more than happy to lose him for free, I’d have to assume it wouldn’t be much. Before you even say it, there’s no way I’d give up Josh Leivo. The fact that the Leafs have declined to send him down, therefore risking losing him for nothing, leads me to believe his value is higher than we think.

When looking at the Chicago’s roster, they’re thin in a few areas. Specifically, the centre and the wing areas. What’s the one thing the Leafs have a surplus of? That’s right, it’s wingers!

And in terms of centres, the Leafs happen to have a few depth options who could maybe work if given the right opportunity.

I mean, if Richard Panik can go from waiver dump to 20-goal-scorer just from playing on Jonathan Toews‘ wing, it can happen to anyone. In that case, I believe the Blackhawks could be interested in either of Nikita Soshnikov or Marlies centre Chris Mueller.

How Could this Work?

WIth Soshnikov, the Leafs are playing a dangerous game.

They’ve claimed he’s been injured for a while, as he’s only suited up for 3 NHL games this year. They even went as far as to call him up on November 14th in order to avoid triggering a KHL clause in his contract.

The writing is on the wall. Sosh is 24, and at this point doesn’t seem to factor into the Leafs long-term plans.

Now, trading an early 20’s energy forward for a 30-year-old 3rd pairing D-man it does seem like sub-par asset management. But, with Soshnikov an RFA after this season, the Leafs inevitably risk losing him for nothing anyway.

Why not at least get something of value for him?

In Mueller’s case, he’s proven to be an effective career-AHL scorer, currently producing at a rate of 0.64 points-per-game. In fact, Mueller is such an effective scorer, that the Marlies gave him one of the most expensive AHL contracts in the league just to do what he does best.

Making a mere $650,000, Mueller’s done everything he’s been asked.

So, if the Blackhawks truly don’t want Franson, they could instead be interested in seeing how he’d perform between players like Patrick Kane or Alex DeBrincat.

Next: Toronto Maple Leafs Host Columbus Blue Jackets

At the end of the day, this is all hypothetical. What do you think?