RedLeaf said:
Corn Flake said:
For those really high on Franson and think either he is worth big money ($3+ mil) and or could play a top unit role, what exactly do you think his value is on the trade market? If he's as good as some think he is, he must be worth a ton on the market, no?
For those thinking his value is high and it is a good time to trade him, I would disagree. I think his value to the Leafs is greater than his value on the open market at present. I believe his value will increase in the coming years, so to trade him now wouldn't be selling high IMO.
It's worth considering that the market this season is a depressed one: there are only about 6 teams that could reasonably take on Franson's likely $3-4m contract without Leafing themselves. Otherwise, cap's gone down, dollars have been committed, and lots of teams are already pretty close to it.
So, if a bidding war between Buffalo, Calgary, and Carolina doesn't yield what you think a very good RFA PMD with size entering his prime should, that doesn't really prove that that's not what he is -- no more than a half dozen teams falling over themselves to sign some UFA on July 1st proves that guy is a top-pairing defenseman or elite top-six forward (hello, David Clarkson).
Most of what we learn from signings and trades, IMO, has to do with the market -- not the talent of players and of what use they'll be on the ice. For that, there are measures that are more useful than salary, trade return, number of teams submitting offers, etc.