• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Nashville Predators

Revisiting the Franson, Santorelli Trade: Who Really Won?

By Colin Fitts May 11th, 2015

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

On February 15, the Nashville Predators acquired defenseman Cody Franson and forward Michael Santorelli from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for Nashville’s 2015 first round pick and forwards Brendan Leipsic and Olli Jokinen.

At the time, the Preds were the best team in the NHL with the second ranked Anaheim Ducks trailing five points behind. Following the trade, however, Nashville dipped in the standings and finished the remaining 26 games of the regular season with a mediocre 9-13-4 record. Their President’s Trophy hopes ended as they placed sixth in the League and second in the Central Division at the end of the year.

Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Mike Santorelli and Cody Franson (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)

Fair or unfair, the acquisition of Franson and Santorelli will be called out as one of the reasons for Nashville’s demise. Neither had the significant impact general manager David Poile hoped for in their short stint with the Predators.

Santorelli had just 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) and a -7 rating in 22 regular season games and scored once in four games during the playoffs. Prior to arriving in Nashville, the center tallied 29 points (11 g, 18 a) and a +7 rating in 57 games for the Leafs. Along with Santorelli’s offense, his ice time dropped from 14:57 to 12:54 on average per game from Toronto to Nashville.

Though a drop in ice time does have an effect on how many scoring chances created, Santorelli’s abysmal offense unfortunately does not get much flak because he gets overshadowed by Franson.

The purpose behind acquiring Franson was to solidify the defense while Ryan Ellis was suffering from a lower-body injury that kept him out 24 games this season. When Ellis returned, head coach Peter Laviolette had a problem on his hands. Both are right-handed defenders, and both were too talented to not be in the lineup. On most nights, the Preds had four rightys and just two leftys.

From Adam Vingan of The Tennessean:

“I think to be very honest, the fact that Franson was a right-handed shot — and the lefty-righty (defense pairs) all year (were) working really good for us — the righty-righty thing was, not making an excuse, but it wasn’t the perfect situation for Franson or for us,” Poile said. “I think when Shea went down (with a dislocated kneecap) and Franson got in there, and then he got to play in a lefty-righty situation, I think he played a lot better.

“Our defense was very good this year, and I think in the playoffs he played better than he did maybe sometimes in the regular season. It wasn’t a perfect fit to be very honest and — bottom line — it wasn’t like we didn’t know that before we made the trade, but we were hoping it would work probably a little bit better.”

View image | gettyimages.com

Not only were Franson and Ellis the same handidness, they also played similar roles. The only difference was Ellis was more efficient on both sides of the puck. Without Ellis in the lineup, Franson’s average time on ice was 17:40; but with Ellis in the lineup, it was 15:25. The 2:15 drop in ice time with Ellis in the lineup is because Franson was the odd man out in Laviolette’s power play units. The defensive units included Shea Weber with Roman Josi and Seth Jones with Ellis. Franson, who led all Nashville defenders in power play points with 17 (5 g, 12 a), was somehow left out despite the power play clearly being one of his strengths.

With Ryan Ellis back, Cody Franson is basically a No. 6 that gets no PP time. What in the world was the point of that trade?

— Dave Lozo (@DaveLozo) March 15, 2015

With the Predators, Franson tallied just 4 points (1 g, 3 a) in 23 regular season games and added 2 assists in 5 playoff games.

The Real Winner: Toronto

In February, Nashville was the clear winner of the trade. They had a stacked roster poised to make a legitimate Stanley Cup run. As the season continued with Franson and Santorelli, I began to scratch my head thinking about the deal. It proved not work after getting eliminated in the first round in six games by the Chicago Blackhawks. Now, Nashville is left disappointed with an early round exit and without a first round pick in the upcoming draft and coveted prospect Brendan Leipsic.

Maple Leafs can improve

Leafs GM Dave Nonis (Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports)

Toronto had a change of heart, too. After the trade, THW writer Adam Raymakers called the deal another failure by now former Leafs GM Dave Nonis. Knowing Toronto had to get rid of Franson and Santorelli — both unrestricted free agents unlikely to re-sign with the Leafs — Nonis got what he could to look towards the future. The move made the Leafs’ roster weak, which assisted in the tanking for a high draft pick. Also, Nashville’s early round exit gives Toronto a middle of the pack first round pick.

From THW writer Kenneth Lam:

The Maple Leafs, if they wish to stockpile centres (seeing that the team badly needs elite-level prospects in this key position), would now potentially be able to target the likes of Travis Konecny and/or Joel Eriksson Ek with their second first round selection that is acquired from Nashville earlier, an improbable scenario if the club were to select in the late 20’s. Of course, Toronto may well opt for the best available player on its draft board at that point (which may not be a centre) but no matter which of these scenarios unfold, Toronto would be able to choose a player that is considerably higher-ranked on its draft board due to the Predators’ somewhat unexpected early-exit from the playoffs.

Adding promising 20-year-old Brendan Leipsic was another great aspect of the trade for Toronto. Leipsic was the CHL’s leading scorer in 2012-13 with 120 points (49 g, 71 a) in 68 games. In his first AHL season, he had 55 points (14 g, 41 a) in 74 games. There is a lot to like from the 5-foot-10, 176lbs forward.

An overlooked part of the trade was Nonis turning Jokinen in for a depth centerman Joakim Lindstrom. Jokinen played six games in Toronto before he was traded to the St. Louis Blues for Lindstrom and a conditional sixth round pick.

The winner of the deal is Toronto, so give Nonis some credit.

Subscribe to our Predators stories to get email updates every time a new story is published.

Colin Fitts is a Nashville Predators staff writer for The Hockey Writers. You can follow him on Twitter, @FittsTHW.

  • Tags
  • Brendan Leipsic
  • Cody Franson
  • David Poile
  • Mike Santorelli
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 26th 10:05 AM
Montreal Canadiens

Montréal Canadiens Need to Work on Discipline

Jan 26th 9:55 AM
Advanced Stats

Devils News & Notes: Strong Start to 2020-21 Continues

Jan 26th 9:45 AM
Hockey History

Gretzky Still ‘The Great One’ at 60

Jan 26th 9:35 AM
New York Islanders

Islanders Continue to Win Games With Their Defense

Jan 26th 9:25 AM
Buffalo Sabres

Sabres’ Most Surprising and Disappointing Players of the Early Season

Jan 26th 9:15 AM
St Louis Blues

3 Reasons Why the Blues Should Re-Sign Jaden Schwartz

Jan 26th 9:05 AM
Columbus Blue Jackets

Laine for DuBois Trade: Hockey Pundits Are Sounding Off

Jan 26th 8:55 AM
Detroit Red Wings

Dylan Larkin One of Few Bright Spots for the Red Wings

Jan 26th 8:45 AM
Editor's Choice

Test Your Wayne Gretzky Knowledge With Our Quiz

Jan 26th 8:35 AM
Chicago Blackhawks

Today in Hockey History: Jan. 26

Editor’s Picks
2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

2021 NHL Draft Rankings: Baracchini's Top 75 Rankings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Wayne Gretzky Almost Joined the Detroit Red Wings

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information