When the Chicago Blackhawks and defenseman Cody Franson agreed to a one-year deal last season, the idea was that Franson would be a top-six defensive option for the Blackhawks as their blue-line core looked thin on NHL quality talent. Franson ended up playing just a quarter of the season with the Blackhawks, endured injury issues, and an assignment to the Rockford IceHogs in his 2017-18 season but still made the best of a bad situation.
Cody Franson Made The Most Of Disappointing 2017-18 Season
Injured in December, Franson lost his spot in the Blackhawks defensive rotation and was assigned to the Rockford IceHogs on January 9. After 23 games with Chicago, Franson tallied seven points (1 G, 6A) but was heading back to the AHL after 9 seasons. Franson’s last stint in the AHL was during the 2009-10 season with the Milwaukee Admirals and was a six-game stint.
Cody Franson (left) makes a pass against the Manitoba Moose in Game One of the Calder Cup Western Conference Semi-Finals. (Courtesy: Manitoba Moose)
As soon as Franson joined the IceHogs, his impact was felt on the offensive-side of the ice. Franson played 37 games, tallying 28 points (9G, 19A) and was a force on the IceHogs powerplay along with Chris DiDomenico and Adam Clendening, all who joined Rockford late in the season. Franson finished the regular season with a 0.76 point per game pace, meaning over a full 76-game schedule for the AHL season, Franson was on pace for 58 points, which would have been the highest point total of any defenseman in the 2017-18 season.
Franson’s consistency continued into the Calder Cup Playoffs as he finished the IceHogs’ 13-game run with 13 points (6G, 7A), highlighted by a two-goal effort in the Game Four sweep-clinching game against the Manitoba Moose in the Western Conference Semi-Finals.
Final Season Grade: A-
While the season did not go the way that he would have like, Franson continued to play at a high-level and was a complete professional in the locker room. Rockford head coach Jeremy Colliton praised Franson’s leadership of the IceHogs’ young locker room and while wasn’t thrilled with the situation, took the reigns as a leader on the team.
Future Outlook
At the end of the season, it was pretty clear through Franson’s words that he would not be re-signing with the Blackhawks this offseason. An unrestricted free-agent this summer, Franson’s legs are not what they once were, but his shot and offensive vision from the blue-line are still at the NHL-level. At 30-years old, turning 31 in August, Franson is far from a worn-down commodity and could give another club a solid option as a third-pairing defenseman for relatively cheap.