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Nashville Predators Trade Mikael Granlund to Pittsburgh Penguins

By Max Greenberg

Feb 23, 2023; San Jose, California, USA; Nashville Predators center Mikael Granlund (64) shoots the puck during the third period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2023; San Jose, California, USA; Nashville Predators center Mikael Granlund (64) shoots the puck during the third period against the San Jose Sharks at SAP Center at San Jose. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Nashville Predators‘ fire-sale has continued, as Mikael Granlund is now the latest player to be shipped off. Per TSN’s Elliotte Friedman, Granlund is going to the Pittsburgh Penguins with the return being a second-round pick.

CapFriendly has confirmed the trade, adding that it is a second round pick in the upcoming 2023 draft and that no salary is being retained in the deal.

What an absolute wild few days it has been for the Predators. We knew they were not done after the blockbuster Mattias Ekholm trade, but this particular move was nowhere near as expected as some of the others.

Granlund was in the middle of a down year after a tremendous 2021-2022 campaign, and while he has been dealing with lots of things out of his control, he has seemed particularly snakebitten.

He has never been the greatest scorer, but he has made some absolutely mind-boggling decisions to not shoot the puck on many occasions this year. It very much seems like the combination of losing and not fitting in the lineup was wearing on him as the season progressed.

Ultimately, this trade is in the best interest of both Granlund and the Predators. Granlund is going to get a fresh start in a new location, and that is what he needs given that his confidence looked to be at a serious low point.

Meanwhile, the Predators continue to gain tremendous draft capital, as they now have THIRTEEN picks in the upcoming draft, ten of which are in the first four rounds. They now have 22 picks in the first four rounds of the next three drafts, and that number is very likely to keep growing in the next few days.

While we can acknowledge that it was best for the two sides to part ways, Granlund will always be well respected within the Predators organization. When he was at his best, he was one of the more consistent players on the team with his two-way abilities, and always led by example on and off the ice.

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But once again, the Predators are continuing to do what they need to do by freeing up cap space and acquiring draft capital. This trade is especially good given Granlund’s recent struggles, and not only did the team get his hefty contract off the books for a high draft pick, they did not retain a penny of his remaining salary.

Excellent work done by David Poile and Barry Trotz!

Keep those seat belts bucked folks, there is sure to be more craziness in the final stretch before the trade deadline!

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