First of all, I was a patron of late-term Chelios and prime Lilja, so there is definitely some wiggle-room there in terms of objectivity. There were a lot of folks on here who lambasted those guys; I appreciated both of those players a great deal when many didn't.
Edit: Also, I was thinking that Chelios was older when he had his seasons where he put up 35-ish points, so amend that to 35+ Chelios if it appeases your conscience.
Regardless, how much have you seen Franson? First of all, he's an atrocious skater. Second of all, the guy just exudes average intelligence when he's anywhere but with a primary assist/goal on his stick. He's actually a pretty unique guy to characterize, because he plays with a simplistic physicality in his own zone but with a much more delicate awareness in the opposition's zone. He knows what to do well north of center but, absent straightforward direction, is unawares when it comes to impromptu deviation from the norm in the defensive zone.
I should say that I don't arbitrarily hate Franson. I do like the guy and think, under certain circumstances, he's a prime addition. I just think he has (or rather will have) one of the worst "bang for your buck" contracts in the NHL. He's just not good enough in his own zone to be a high-salary guy and his defense is so body-zone based that he just can't become above average without some sort of other-worldly skating improvement.
