Report: Cody Franson expected to sign 2-year contract with Sabres

Cody Franson is expected to finalize a two-year agreement Thursday to join the Buffalo Sabres, TSN's Bob McKenzie reports.

The 28-year-old defenseman, considered one of the more talented free agents on the open market this summer, will earn an average annual salary of roughly $3.3 million throughout the life of the deal, according to McKenzie.

Franson totaled seven goals and 29 assists last season, his production achieved mainly in his time with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He, along with Mike Santorelli, commanded a first-round pick and a top prospect in a deadline deal with the Nashville Predators. His game tailed off in his return to the team that drafted him in the third round in 2005, as he struggled to earn ice time under Predators coach Peter Laviolette.

The salary and term falls short of what many expected, but Franson will have a taste of the insurance he's lacked. The two-year pact will break up a string of one-year deals signed since his rookie contract expired in 2012.

If the dollar does indeed land at $3.3 million, he will be the third highest earner on the Sabres blue line behind Zach Bogosian and Josh Gorges.