Former free agent Christian Ehrhoff recently found a new NHL team, but other free agents remain unsigned.
Notable UFAs still available.
Cody Franson, defenseman. It’s been over a month since Franson claimed he’s spoken with five or six teams, notably the Boston Bruins. It’s widely assumed he’s seeking a long-term deal, with salary speculated at between $4.5 – $6 million annually.
Stephen Weiss is among several notable NHL UFAs still unsigned in late-August.
Stephen Weiss, center. Since he was bought out by the Detroit Red Wings in late June, Weiss has scarcely been mentioned in the rumor mill.
Marek Zidlicky, defenseman. Several weeks have passed since Zidlicky was linked to the Boston Bruins. The Columbus Blue Jackets could be interested now that Ehrhoff has signed with the Kings.
Brad Boyes, right wing. Like Weiss, there’s been little mention of Boyes since he was bought out by the Florida Panthers nearly two months ago.
Jiri Tlusty, right wing. Tlusty was recently suggested as a checking-line center candidate for the Washington Capitals, but he’s spent most of his career playing right wing.
Martin Havlat, left wing. A recent report out of Ottawa claims the Senators could bring the oft-injured Havlat back on a professional tryout contract.
Curtis Glencross, left wing. A rumor recently surfaced claiming Glencross might sign a PTO with the Colorado Avalanche.
Lubomir Visnovsky, defenseman. It’s likely the oft-injured blueliner could be continuing his playing career in Europe.
Erik Cole, left wing. His playing career could be over following a late-season back injury.
Dainius Zubrus, center. Recently bought out by the New Jersey Devils, Zubrus hopes to sign with another NHL club for the upcoming season.
Lee Stempniak, right wing. Stempniak recently said he’d hoped to re-sign with the Winnipeg Jets, but they’re looking to give spots to their younger players.
Olli Jokinen, center. It appears Jokinen’s long NHL career is drawing to a close.
Brenden Morrow, left wing. Like Jokinen, Morrow’s career could be over. He could end up accepting a tryout contract.
Jordan Leopold, defenseman. Leopold is still training in preparation for the upcoming season, but he recently acknowledged the possibility his career could be over.
Michael Ryder, right wing. Not a peep about Ryder since the UFA market opened on July 1.
Anton Volchenkov, defense. Another oft-injured veteran, Volchenkov could also face the end of his NHL playing career.
I’ve been saying it from before day 1, Franson will have to lower his demands if he wants to sign with anyone anytime sooner. He can also gamble to wait until September but I don’t think things will be much better then. Teams are going to wait him out, and ultimately he will have to cave in and accept what the league believes his worth is, which is obviously different then his self-worth.
You’ve been saying he has to lower his demands before day 1, yet you don’t even know what he’s asking for.
And you say he has to cave, well, that argument works both ways – the teams could be the ones that ultimately cave.
I think as a second pair defender, he can get a mid-term deal in the $4.5-5m range. What do you think?
i think frason will get 3.5 just because he was decent on the leafs(horrible defensive team) he was a healthy scratch in the playoffs when the pressure was on. a lot of people over value franson there is a reason why he isn’t signed
I’m shocked that no team has signed Franson for about 4.5 to 5 for 5 years. That’s kind of the market in today’s NHL for a soft #2 to solid #3/4 Dman that can play on a 2nd pairing of a balanced D squad & play solid power play minutes at a high rate of points production.
No matter what metrics you choose to choose or blend, old world stats or new analytics his #’s say he’s a solid offensive Dman that helps drive possession. Although he doesn’t punish players with his size he is a willing hitter, shot blocker & an above average power play option & although not a top flight defensive Dman he isn’t a total train wreck & when countered to his offensive abilities it’s a good package.
His time in Nashville was terrible but in fairness his role changed significantly. He couldn’t crack Nashville’s top 4 never mind top 5 & even in the playoffs when Weber went down he still barely played. I’ll give him a pass on the time spent there.
I don’t care what anyone says. Quantity & quality of ice time translates to points. In Toronto Franson was 2nd for both TOI/GP at D with 21:23 & 2nd for PP TOI/GP at D with 3:03. In Nashville he was 6th for TOI/GP at D 15:25 & 5th for PP TOI/GP at D with 1:09.
If you want to extrapolate that out to include all skaters. Franson was 2nd in Tor for TOI/GP & 5th for PP TOI/GP. In Nashville, he was 12th for TOI/GP & 12th for PP TOI/GP.
If you need to ask why Franson was so bad in Nashville it had nothing to do with him specifically. He was brought in to provide depth & insurance to cover for injury & what Nashville hoped was a run to the cup. The only Dman he got to play ahead of in Nashville at anytime were Volchenkov & Bartley their 6 & 7 options before he arrived. He came in took a 3rd pairing role as the #6 Dman & generated points according to his ice time & role. He wasn’t dislodging Weber, Josi, Jones, Ellis or Eklholm. This is the best D in the NHL, it’s young both by age & NHL experience. It’s just going to keep getting better as Josi, Jones, Ellis & Ekholm approach their 400 game breakthrough points.
Someone is going to get a great deal on Franson & why it hasn’t happened yet is a mystery. He looks like he will have to accept a shorter term deal now for less than market value. I assume as he & his agent shot high & missed the market but most teams cap flexibility is declining, spent or they have internal caps they won’t exceed. He might have to take a 1 year deal at or about the same money he got last season, or a team might push 4.5 on a 3 year deal.
Either way great value for what Franson brings to the table, warts & all.
So, in essence, why don’t these blind NHL teams bring you on board to replace those in their system who obviously have no clue as to a player’s actual worth to a team vis-a-vis his salary expectations?
I never said anyone was blind.
I stated that I assume Franson & his agent shot to high in salary expectations & missed an opportunity. Time will tell his true value, he will sign some where eventually.
I can pull all the #’s for you further than those already provided if you like, both old world & new world analytics but frankly you can do so yourself as opposed to just hammering anything Toronto related, pulling nothing but hot air out of your ? Your hate for anything Toronto is bizarre to say the least. Hell Franson doesn’t even play in Toronto any longer, let it go. I know you love you Sen’s but you need to learn to relax.
How about you support some of your opinions with facts, any facts, as opposed to making inflammatory comments.
Thoughts from the bench.
striker… facts on one team don’t matter going to another team try watching franson instead of just looking at stats for your fantasy pools
I just don’t get why if as you say Nashville brought in Franson to cover injuries. When an injury occurred as you noted to Weber. They decided to bench the guy they brought in to cover for injuries.
It’s not the role Franson was asked to play that concerns me, or his lack of ice time due to the depth of the Defensive Roster on Nashville. But simply being benched when a team is in the playoffs and trying to put their best team on the ice is a red flag.
There is something regarding Franson that is concerning the 30 teams around the league. What else could it be?
Franson missed 1 playoff game, game 1 & was shown as out with an upper body injury for that game, at least according to ESPN’s box score. He returned in game 2 the game Weber was lost in.
“There is something regarding Franson that is concerning the 30 teams around the league. What else could it be?”
I think the problem is that he has a tendency to dish out blind passes and is a bit of a give-away artist – just ask the Bruins. 😉 This is probably why the Bruins will never pay him the big money he’s looking for.
Money & term I assume.
His give aways are average, he was 3rd in Toronto behind & Gardiner & Reilly at D playing significantly more minutes when he left & was tied for 2nd with Gardner the year prior Reilly was the worst & again playing significantly more minutes.
Franson is really an offensive Dman. Give aways aren’t an issue in & of themselves it’s where & when & I does it end up in the back of your net. Forcing offense is going to cause turn overs.
These conversations always take me back to a conversation I had with Rick Dudley many years ago. He was referencing a former Leaf Liles who turns the puck over constantly. Dudleys argument was he did it driving offense in the neutral & offensive zones pushing the offense & these turnovers rarely ended up in the back of their net.
striker… franson is not that good you can throw out all the stats you want but actually watch him play and you can see why he still isn’t signed he has a lot of holes in his game
Well it’s been reported numerous times over the summer months he’s looking for a min $4.5 million per year over 4 years or more, so I’d say yes I do have a pretty good idea. And no, I don’t think other teams will cave, not to those terms. The reason is simple, Franson’s performance. His numbers in Toronto showed a good second pairing option on a team without much better in the way of better d’men, and his numbers in Nashville showed a player who was no better than a 3rd pairing option who didn’t do much whenever he had the chance to step in with a roster full of better D’men. Until he shows some consistency beyond one season he isn’t going to get anything more than a 2 year deal, I’m guessing in the $3-3.5 million range, at best.
i agree thirsty…..inconsistency is the right word for franson
Also remember Nashville drafted him and he played there for a few seasons before going to Toronto. He was a 3rd pairing for them and they intentionally sheltered his minutes and opposition.
Every player will reach the end of the line sooner or later. The difference between now and day, 30 years ago, is that players back then could find it easier to realize their playing days were over if they had other job prospects with salaries not that far removed from their NHL contracts. But now, there are damned few jobs to be had that even come close to the NHL minimum (or even some of the higher paying AHL roster spots, not to mention European options) so it’s small wonder they try and hang on like Gunga Din.
that should read “now and say, 30 years ago …” Blankety-blank faded script.
Could some be hoping to hang around in case expansion occurs before they’re 45?
Devin Setoguchi has just signed a PTO contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.One more potentially off the list.
Treliving just pulled quite the rabbit out of his hat. Got Giordano signed up for far less than the 9 million he originally asked for and the 8 year term he high balled to Flame management.
I like this deal today, and probably for the first 2-3 years of the deal. But I would have not gone more than 3 years on this deal. He will be 33 the 1st year of this contract, and 39 when it ends. Unless there is a significant cap increase between now and then, it has buyout or trouble written all over it. 6 years is better than 8 I suppose, but not much at that age.
He wouldnt have signed it then if you only went threee years.
This is the definition of poor cap management, his cap hit this year is $4mill and change on a rebuilding team. They could have got a kings ransom if they put him on the trading block.
I don’t subscribe to the doom and gloom of the rest.
With the soon to be additions of Quebec added and Vegas (OH god) The initial revenue spike will push up the salary cap.
Giordano in 6 years will fit neatly in the Flames cap structure.
I agree some what but the money & term considering he was going to be a UFA after next season seem reasonable. It`s really about balancing out the cap hit to make it work next season factoring in his age & contribution over the course of the term. Would 3 at 8.5 to 9 been any better! Subban money.
I look at differently.
If he got what might be fair market value now using comparables which are few, as few UFA Dman in their prime usually make it to market nor did he but his peers are making 7 to 8.5 now, you could argue Weber significantly more but those contracts have been eliminated.
So lets say it was laid out as 8.5, 8.5, 8.5, 6, 5, 4. Same cap hit over the same term does that make it anymore appealing! I perceive Calgary got decent value & term. Will he make to much near the end, yes but that`s the contractual world of today’s NHL.`
I`m more concerned about his injury history & how Calgary is going to address their cap issues down the road after next season. Hell he makes .250K less than Phaneuf on what will be 1 year longer now. Ha-ha!
I don’t think there is any way to make his 6 year deal appealing, to me its the 6 years that makes it ugly. And honestly, I think I’d rather pay him 8.5 over 3 than 6.75 until he’s pushing 40 years old. That will be a contract near impossible to move imo. Especially if injuries continue to be a problem. I can’t think of any nhl d-men 37-38-39 years old I’d be willing to pay more than 4.0 (and that’s stretching it) in today’s market. 6.75 and I’d have their agent committed for even asking.
yeah I have to agree with you NYR4life. He isn’t young. Injuries can creep up along with age but I believe he would of got considerable more dollars if he went UFA.
1 more has been off the list lol
the has been comment was meant for setoguchi not giordano
I know I’m in the minority here, but I don’t think Franson’s demands are excessive, if they are in the $4.5-$5.5M range.
There are about 70 defensemen making more than $4M AAV. Many of whom negotiated those contracts as RFAs. Franson’s a UFA who is a top 4 guy on just about any team. He’s consistently put up points, been relatively healthy over his career and at 28 is in his prime.
I think the teams have basically filled their cap space and he’s the odd man out, simple as that.
$6.75 a year for Gio on a contract that takes him to 40 are you joking? This is going to cause major problems down the road.
I think it will be manageable. Obviously like every team in the league they will have to decide who goes if the cap space gets to tight but the Flames have a top notch D unit signed for considerable time and like the stock market there are ups and downs but in the end the value of your investments on the chart always finishes higher.
Even in this so called tough economic times the cap increased a bit. More revenues will be generated with the addition of the Nordiques and perhaps Vegas. 6 years from now the Cap will be considerably higher than it is today. Even if it shrinks next year.
Striker is an obvious leafs fan.. Just don’t understand why your pumping Franson’s tires when he’s already out the door!?
Franson not being signed is a huge red flag and suggests your argument is very flawed.. And I’m sure your not a professor in the math department so please don’t use analytics until you know how to interpret the information.
It is really starting to get to me when people quote analytics
YOU DONT UNDERSTAND THEM PEOPLE!!!!
My take on the Giordano signing:
https://spectorshockey.net/flames-re-sign-mark-giordano/
I can’t believe you would compare giordano contract to phaneuf’s.. That is why people bash on the leafs and their fans.
Trying to justify Leafs mistake by comparing them to other stars around the league is laughable
Nobody would take Phaneuf over Girodano.. And this doesn’t make Phaneufs contract look any better.
Good luck with that anchor.. And your 10 year rebuild
Bahahahahahahah
Leaf fans
What team do you cheer for?
I follow lots of teams.. But born Montreal
Yes the Gio contract isnt the best. But when compared to other D men like Boychuk, Leddy, Girardi, Sekera, its either on par or better than all their contracts.
Boychuk I agree because of his age and term. But Leddy is 24 years old making 5.5 until he is 30, not 40. Girardi is also a bad comparison. 5.5 until he’s 36 and has missed a total of 5 games in his career, and has been a 1-2 pretty much the entirety of that time. Sure, Gio has better offensive numbers….today. But Girardi isn’t exactly a guy paid for his multiple highlight reel appearances either. Lets revisit Gios numbers in 3-5 years.
I hope/wish The Canucks will look at leopard!