Cody Franson to Sabres: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

After hanging on the market far longer than he could have expected, Cody Franson has found a new home. The veteran defenseman signed a two-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday that completes his disappointing fall from grace. Bob McKenzie of TSN first reported the deal, and the team announced it later Thursday. 

McKenzie reported the deal would average $3.3 million annually. Franson, 28, had 36 points in 78 games last season, splitting the campaign between Nashville and Toronto. Traded to the Predators at the deadline for a package that included a first-round pick, Franson saw what had been an otherwise solid season turn sour.

He scored just four points in 23 regular-season games after returning to Nashville, where he'd spent his first two NHL seasons. He also struggled markedly in the playoffs as the Preds bowed out after only five games.

"It was a good try to give us some depth to make the playoffs and to compete in the playoffs, and I was really disappointed with how it worked out with Cody,” Predators general manager David Poile said in May, per NHL.com.

Expected to be a hot commodity on the open market, Franson instead sat on the market without much intrigue. He said he was in contract negotiations with the Bruins in July, but nothing came to pass, leaving him hanging well beyond the point most teams were looking to add talent.

Going to Buffalo seems like a strange resolution, but odds are he won't be there for the duration of his contract. The Sabres are in the midst of a full-scale rebuild. They won an NHL-low 23 games last season. No other Eastern Conference team was within 10 points of their NHL-low 54 points.

Adding a solid veteran like Franson will help bring the team closer to respectability, but Buffalo is still going to be among the league's worst teams. The front office is likely banking on Franson playing himself into a trade market, at which point Buffalo could flip him for a young asset or draft picks. The Maple Leafs were faced with a similar quandary last season and pulled the trigger at the perfect time.

For now, though, Franson is a Sabre. For better or for worse.