Franson on trade to Predators: 'Nashville has always felt like home'

Cody Franson is looking forward to getting back to life in Tennessee.

After being acquired by the Nashville Predators from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a four-player deal earlier on Sunday, the 27-year-old defenseman will rejoin the team that drafted him in the third round back in 2005. 

At the same time, he'll jump to a roster in line to challenge for the Stanley Cup, much to Franson's delight.

Franson described how he's feeling on the club's official website:

It’s very exciting. Nashville is such a great city and it will be an unbelievable place to try and win a Cup. I can’t tell you how excited I am to go back there and be a part of it. I’m going to try and do everything I can to help the team win.

Nashville has always felt like home to me. It’s where I started, and I loved it there. When I got traded from there, it was a day of mixed emotions. I had a made a lot good friends there and knew a lot of great people, so I was sad to leave. I’m very happy to be coming back, and I’m excited about us competing for (a championship).

Franson joins a talented bunch on the Predators' blue line, and is expected to thrive under head coach Peter Laviolette. While his long-term future is uncertain as an impending unrestricted free agent, the match seems like a solid one heading into the postseason.

In 377 career games since entering the league with the Predators in 2009, Franson has recorded 34 goals and 131 assists, good for an average of 0.44 points per game.