Mikael Granlund is Nashville's Perfect Center Trade Target
The Predators are going to need to upgrade at center and Granlund fits the bill well.
Mikael Granlund is Nashville's Perfect Center Trade TargetDespite winning back-to-back games, the San Jose Sharks are a mess and won't make the playoffs this season again. The team is very likely looking at a bottom-5 finish and another high draft pick to help turn things around in the future. With that said, the Sharks will be a team to watch on the trade market this season as there are players to sell off.
Mikael Granlund is the top trade target teams will be interested in as he is proving last season's success wasn't a fluke and he still has game. The 32-year-old has five goals and 13 points in 11 games, seven of the points coming on the power play.
Granlund is in the final year of a four-year, $5 million AAV deal, but if the Sharks are going to be moving him ahead of the trade deadline in 2025, they can't retain any cap. The Sharks are already using all three cap retention spots on Brent Bruns, Erik Karlsson, and Tomas Hertl, so a third team will have to get involved unless the team buying has space to take on the full $5 million.
So this relates to the Nashville Predators because they are in need of a second line center and will need an upgrade if the team is to compete for the Stanley Cup this season. There is a good base in Nashville, but Colton Sissons or Tommy Novak are not up to the challenge thus far and Nashville wants Steven Stamkos on the wing.
Many Predators fans may be familiar with Granlund as he was a member of the team between 2019 and 2023 before being traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. He didn't necessarily struggle in Nashville, scoring 51 goals and 162 points in 268 games, but it is nowhere near his play in his final three seasons in Minnesota (185 points in 221 games) and the last season+ in San Jose (73 points in 80 games).
The Predators have cap space for now, but that could change with the outcome of the Ryan Johansen grievance. If Nashville is going to try to acquire Granlund, they will likely utilize a third team. There are a lot of draft picks at Barry Trotz's disposal to use on having a third party retain up to $2.5 million on the contract.
Granlund is in a great spot in San Jose where he is playing tons of minutes and producing on the power play. If the Predators do end up targeting the Sharks' center, the expectation for production has to drop. Granlund won't get top power play time unless Ryan O'Reilly is taken off, and Granlund also won't be playing over 21:30 per night because the Predators are deeper and a better team.
Granlund's confidence has to be at an all-time high and he is playing the best hockey of his career. Centers are hard to come by as the Predators well know. They aren't going to be able to find a great internal fix to their situation over the next number of months, so acquiring help from a trade is the best course of action.
If the Predators are buyers, which they should be by the trade deadline, there will be more than just Granlund on their radar as the team has to have options and backup plans. Nashville has to be in the playoff hunt and make a splash for a center, so that will continue to be something we follow throughout the season.
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