Ottawa Senators: Cody Franson Should be Looked at as an Option
Two Weeks into free agency the Ottawa Senators have failed to find solutions for many of their problems.
Generally speaking when a team fails to acknowledge their flaws they’ll have trouble improving upon the previous season. This is even truer for an Ottawa Senators team that made it to the final four in 2017. A conference final appearance is already difficult enough to improve upon when you keep the same lineup. Unfortunately for the Sens they have taken a hit on defence.
A Defence Lacking in Depth
Scoring is perhaps the biggest issue that the Sens need to address but for now let’s take a look at the defence. Despite the loss of Methot the Sens should actually be able to fill the left defenceman positions fairly easily. Phaneuf will be on the second pairing as always, and Claesson has shown that he has great chemistry with Karlsson. As for the third pairing, Chabot, Harpur, and Borowiecki all play on the left side. All of them should be capable enough to play on the third pairing. With three options in that spot, if one player goes cold there are options for the Senators to replace them with.
The right side is where the Sens lack depth. Karlsson obviously will play nearly half the game on the first pairing. Ceci is a lock to play on Phaneuf’s right side. However, it’s the third pairing where things get sketchy. Chris Wideman is the only realistic option the Senators have. In fact the Sens only have the three right handed defenceman signed. As a result if Wideman falters they’ll be forced to play a left handed D on the right. This can be done but it’s not ideal. To remedy this problem the Sens should look to sign a right handed defenceman.
The Best Option
The best option for the Sens to sign is Cody Franson. At 29 years old he can be signed to more than one year if they would like. Additionally, he won’t be particularly expensive. At most he’ll make a little over three million, but could likely go for a little less than that. It also helps that he is capable of playing a little further up in the lineup. He’s shown that he can step up into a second pairing position. This would mean that if Ceci falters he can be brought down to the third pairing while Franson steps up.
Next: Ottawa Senators: Cody Ceci Must Prove His Worth
Final Thoughts
The addition of Cody Franson is one that makes sense for the Ottawa Senators right now. A right handed defenceman that can play up and down the lineup. At a young enough age and a reasonable price he would be a great addition for the Sens this summer.