Best Trade Deadline Acquisitions in Nashville Predators History
By Chad Minton
Mikael Granlund, Acquired from Wild for Kevin Fiala in 2019
This was another attempt for the Predators to keep their Stanley Cup window open in 2019. They were still expected at this point to at least be a viable playoff team and needed some extra offensive skill.
Trading away Kevin Fiala wasn't easy. Things just didn't work out between the front office and Fiala, so the one-for-one swap with Minnesota to get Granlund seemed like a potential win for both parties.
Granlund brought on the bigger chunk of change for the Predators to take on, while Fiala was much cheaper for the Wild. Granlund had just posted back-to-back seasons of 69 and 67 points for the Wild, so the Predators felt they were getting an efficient offensive player for their playoff push.
Although Granlund wasn't a complete bust for the Predators, 162 points in 268 games, you do wonder what could've been if the organization could've worked things out with Fiala. Fiala has since moved on to the Kings and has had more personal success than Granlund has had.
The biggest letdown for Granlund during his time with the Predators is he never did much in the postseason. Only three goals in 20 playoff games with Nashville.