Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
I've always considered a 'Franchise player' to be the cornerstone of a team.
Not all cornerstones are made equal.
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Thank you for putting that in terms that most people should be able to understand! Perhaps Kopitar doesn't fit the mould of Gradin-23's "franchise center" definition, but really ask Dean Lombardi, Darryl Sutter or any of his teammates and they will call him that without question. Lonbardi has referred to him as such numerous times and that should be enough for anyone. Who exactly are we as fans to define who is and who isn't? Jeez it's hilarious how some people are willing to throw down ''well he's not as good as Crosby/ins't a PPG over 1000 games so he's not MY definition of a franchise center". If he is the cornerstone of the team, then he is the franchise centre. The team is built around him. Doesn't matter how many points he puts up. If the team is built around him, he's the franchise center. Bergeron fits the mould perfectly. The teams defensive identity is built around him upfront, and Chara on the backend. Therefore he is a cornerstone.
Such a silly debate. Some players are more important to their franchise then they are to others (ie Iggy. franchise player here, definitely not franchise player for BOS or Pitts). There is no set term for franchise player. If he is the cornerstone of a team, he should be called a franchise player.