Why Cody Franson Could Help Save Dallas Stars Defense

The Dallas Stars defense may be undergoing a reconstruction this coming offseason. Whether or not they will be adding new superstars or simply allowing their current players to accept their new roles, they will hopefully be seeing a new direction come next year.

The 2014-2015 season was obviously not a good one for the Dallas Stars blue line. At one point in the year, the Stars were dead last in the NHL for goals allowed. They found a way to salvage their performance a bit, and ended the year 26th.

They ended up giving away 260 goals, their most since the 1995-1996 season. Their pitiful performance on defense is regarded as the main reason why the Stars ended up falling seven points short of a playoff spot.

Now that their defense has a chance to hit the reset button, Jim Nill very well may. Most are expecting the Stars to go after Chicago defenseman Brent Seabrook who may end up having to be dumped by the Hawks due to cap issues.

Next: Could The Dallas Stars Trade For Brent Seabrook?

The rumors are heating up about the Stars and Seabrook, but more than one team is attached to the rumors. A few teams will end up being candidates if Seabrook is even put on the block. There hasn’t been much talk in a while about the Hawks making him available, so the Stars may hit a dead-end in their pursuit.

Enter Cody Franson.

The 27-year old defenseman could be the perfect alternative should the Brent Seabrook idea fall through.

Cody Franson is entering his seventh year in NHL play. After being selected by the Nashville Predators in the third round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft, he spent four seasons working his way up through the minors.

He started the 2009-2010 season with the Predators, and ended up playing 61 games. He turned in a rather decent rookie year, with 6 goals and 21 points, along with a +15 on-ice rating. He played another year with Nashville, and fell two games short of a complete season.

In the summer of 2011, Franson was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. This lit a new path in his career for the next three and a half years. Franson logged 115 points in 236 games with the Leafs. In the summer of 2014, Franson re-signed a one year deal with Toronto which would prove to be overextending it. He was traded back to his original team, the Nashville Predators, on February 15th, 2015.

Cody Franson finished the season with the Predators, and headed into the offseason as a looming unrestricted free agent. Nashville GM David Poile made it quite clear that the team would “probably not” be re-signing the 27 year old Canadian.

So now that Franson is headed into free agency, is it time for the Dallas Stars to strike?

Cody Franson is a right-handed shot that knows when to stay back and defend and when to come up and press the attack. He’s been in the league long enough to at least be considered more experienced than some of the Stars defenders. He could help out on the second pair with the likes of Trevor Daley. A noteworthy offensive force along with a back-checking defenseman is a lethal combination.

Franson stands at a decent 6-5, which adds plenty of size to an otherwise vertically-challenged Stars blue line. His 2014 cap hit was a mere $993,549. The Stars could find him on a steal. The team has the perfect scenario that any player floating in free agency would want to latch onto.

The only problem is, if Dallas wants Franson in, they would need to rid themselves of two defensemen. This could be done by either sending to the AHL or trading away. But the Stars ended the year with seven defensemen on their roster (Goligoski, Klingberg, Daley, Jokipakka, Demers, Benn, Nemeth) and only have space for six.

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