Cody Franson

Cody Franson (born August 8, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenseman currently with the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Franson was drafted in the third round, 79th overall, by the Nashville Predators in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2011 as a free agent, before eventually returning to Nashville via a trade on February 15, 2015.

Playing career

Minor

Franson played minor hockey for the Sicamous Eagles in Sicamous, British Columbia. During the 2003–04 season, Franson played junior 'B' hockey with the Beaver Valley Nitehawks, a team based out of Fruitvale, British Columbia, in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The Nitehawks won the KIJHL championship the year Franson played on the team.

Junior

Franson went undrafted in the 2002 WHL Bantam Draft. Nevertheless, the Vancouver Giants in the Western Hockey League (WHL) offered him a tryout and Franson was successful in making the team. He played full-time for the Giants starting in the 2004–05 season, where he put up 13 points. Franson then improved to 55- and 51-point campaigns with the Giants in the next two seasons, respectively. In 2006, he helped lead the Giants to the President's Cup as WHL champions, earning a berth in the 2006 Memorial Cup. He then recorded the only hat-trick of the tournament and led all defencemen in scoring, with five points in five games. In the subsequent off-season, Franson signed an entry-level contract with the Predators in July 2006, the organization that drafted him in the third round, 79th overall, in 2005. The next year, he was named to the WHL West First All-Star Team and was nominated for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy as the League's top defenceman, although the Trophy was ultimately awarded to Kris Russell of the Medicine Hat Tigers. After falling to Medicine Hat in the 2007 WHL Final, Franson and the Giants captured the 2007 Memorial Cup as tournament hosts, defeating the Tigers in the final.

Professional

In the 2007–08 season, Franson turned professional and was assigned to the Predators' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. He tallied 36 points in his rookie season in Milwaukee.

On October 17, 2009, Franson played in his first NHL game against the Washington Capitals, notching a single shot on goal. Later that week, on October 22, Franson scored his first career NHL goal against Pascal Leclaire of the Ottawa Senators.

On July 3, 2011, Franson, along with forward Matthew Lombardi, was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Brett Lebda and Robert Slaney. During the subsequent 2011–12 season, Franson played 57 games for the Maple Leafs, scoring 21 points and finishing with a plus-minus rating of –1.

On October 1, 2012, Franson signed a contract with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Elitserien due to the 2012–13 NHL lockout. On January 13, 2013, he signed a one-year contract with Toronto as a restricted free agent. On May 13, Franson scored two goals for the Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarter-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins, a game Toronto eventually lost 5–4 in overtime.

On July 21, 2014, Franson and the Maple Leafs agreed to a one-year contract extension worth $3.3 million. On February 15, 2015, Franson was traded back to the Nashville Predators, along with Mike Santorelli, in exchange for Olli Jokinen, Brendan Leipsic and a first-round draft pick. This marked both Santorelli's and Franson's second tenure with Nashville.

Despite being ranked as one of the top free agents available during the offseason, Franson did not sign a contract until September 10, 2015 when he inked a two-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres worth $6.6 million total.

International play

Franson was a part of Canada'S 2007 World Junior Championship gold medal-winning team in Sweden.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards

• Won an Ed Chynoweth Cup (WHL champions) with the Vancouver Giants in 2006.
• Won a World Junior gold medal with Team Canada in 2007.
• Nominated for the Bill Hunter Memorial Trophy (Top WHL Defenceman) in 2007.
• Named to the WHL West First All-Star Team in 2007.
• Won a Memorial Cup with the Vancouver Giants in 2007.