Boston Bruins: Should the B’s Try For Christian Ehrhoff or Cody Franson?
The Boston Bruins have done a pretty solid job during free agency. They filled in the holes left by Carl Soderberg and Milan Lucic. Now it’s time for the Boston Bruins to fill in the gap left by Dougie Hamilton. The Bruins have nearly $9 million left in cap space, which would be enough to secure the services of two solid defensemen.
But are there any good blueliners left for the taking?
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
Christian Ehrhoff is a name that keeps coming up. He battled the Bruins while playing for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 Cup Finals. Back then, he was one of the best defensive players in the league. He was a great two-way defender that could contribute on special teams.
The last few years haven’t been kind to the 32-yr old. He was bought out by the Buffalo Sabres after two disappointing seasons scoring only eleven goals. Last year was easily his worst year in the NHL. Injuries limited his play to just forty-nine games with the Pittsburgh Penguins. In that time, he was only able to put up three goals and fourteen points.
Ehrhoff made $4 million last year with the Penguins. It’s doubtful the Bruins will pay that kind of cash, even in a sellers’ market like free-agency. Ehrhoff might make an acceptable replacement for Matt Bartkowski, but that’s about it. The Bruins are in need of a top-four defenseman and Ehrhoff doesn’t seem to have that in him anymore.
Live Feed class=inline-text id=inline-text-7
Puck Prose
Cody Franson is a name that keeps getting mentioned. Franson spent last year split between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Nashville Predators. He put up thirty-six points between the two teams, and has more hustle than Ehrhoff does right now. The Bruins could certainly use him as a second-pair defenseman, and his $3.3 million dollar cap hit wouldn’t be too severe for the Black and Gold.
He’s the big body that would satisfy the Cam Neely school of thought. He’s 6’5″ and knows how to use his size effectively on the ice. He’s got the great hands that would satisfy the Don Sweeney school of thought. He’s also a defensive-minded player that could fit in well with the Claude Julien system.
Franson’s still young (27), and could mesh nicely with players like Torey Krug and Kevan Miller. While Franson-Krug would not be the most ideal second defensive pair for Boston, it would be enough for the Bruins to get buy for this season. They can both jump in as a fourth forward on special teams and the odd-man rush. They both respond well to a back-and-forth kind of game, and Franson could be one of those players that like Boston.
Hopefully, Don Sweeney has Franson in mind as he’s shopping around the league for another blueliner.