With the NHL's 2015 All-Star game in the books, the collective hockey world now turns its focus to the second half of the season and, for some organizations, even more importantly, the March 2 trade deadline.
One team that has already begun to hear their name bandied about in connection with potential NHL trades and rumors is the Anaheim Ducks.
The Ducks already enacted one trade this season when they sent Bryan Allen to the Montreal Canadiens in late November exchange for Rene Borque.
They may again be eyeing a trade involving a defenseman and a team from north of the border.
"One of the teams, for example, I'm beginning to hear a bit about is Anaheim. That they want to - are maybe looking to create some flexibility so they can add another defenseman somewhere in the middle of all of this," said Elliotte Friedman on Toronto's Sportsnet 590, per NicholsOnHockey.com.
A player they're supposedly eyeing is Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman, Cody Franson.
"And we're going to hear more about Cody Franson and the interest that teams have in him in the days and weeks ahead. I mean, that's obvious because he's a pending unrestricted free agent. He's a big defenseman. Right shot. All of those things," said Darren Dreger on an episode of Toronto's TSN 1050, as transcribed by NicholsOnHockey.com.
"I think Anaheim has some interest. I think there are a lot of teams with interest in Cody Franson."
Franson and the Leafs have been talking a potential contract extension for several seasons now but seem annually unable to reach an agreement - he signed a one-year, $3.3 million deal prior to this season and is in line for a serious payday.
The Ducks (31-10-6) are already one of the best teams in the league and would be even stronger and an even surer bet to make serious postseason noise if they added Franson.
Franson, 27, has six goals and 23 assists in 46 games this season. As Dreger noted, he's a big, right-handed shooting defenseman with good, if not great, mobility.
