He was suspended for a full year after knocking down a referee, but was then moved to play with the Tranås AIF in the Swedish Allsvenskan in 1999.

[2] His workmanlike service was lauded by former teammate and captain Steve Yzerman, who gave him the nickname "The Mule" because "he carries the load."

[6] Franzén scored his first career NHL hat-trick against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals of the 2008 playoffs.

On 24 May 2009, in a Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, Franzén was involved in a minor scrum behind the net after the whistle.

[11][12] On 8 October 2009, Franzén suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in a 3–2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, forcing him to miss 55 games before he was able to return to Detroit's lineup in a game against the St. Louis Blues on 9 February 2010, where he recorded an assist on a Pavel Datsyuk goal as the Red Wings lost 4-3.

On 6 May, Franzén scored three goals in a span of 3:26 (two seconds shy of the NHL record for fastest playoff hat-trick[13]) in the first period of Detroit's Western Conference Semifinal game against the San Jose Sharks.

On 2 February 2011, Franzén became only the second player in 14 years, joining Marián Gáborík, to score five goals in one game.

He recorded three goals and two assists in two games to help lead the Red Wings to consecutive road victories.

[15] In 2015, Franzén missed the remainder of the season due to concussion symptoms after he was blindsided by a check late in a game at Edmonton by the Oilers' Rob Klinkhammer on 6 January 2015.

[citation needed] Fans and the teammates alike often refer to Franzén as "The Mule," a nickname given to him by Steve Yzerman.