NHL contract grades: Mikael Granlund is pricey but sensible for the building Ducks

New York Times

01-07-2025

Mikael Granlund signs with the Anaheim Ducks on an three-year contract with a $7 million average annual value.
Give Pat Verbeek and the Anaheim Ducks some credit: They're trying.
We've seen it happen more than often enough over the years — franchises can choose to rebuild, then complete part of the process but miss the exit. You can't be bad forever. At some point, you've got to at least make the attempt to win hockey games.
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That's what this calendar year has been about for the Ducks — the attempt. If you're skeptical of the specifics, you're probably right to be, because players such as Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider and, yes, Granlund aren't perfect. They're not particularly close to perfect. And, given their respective ages, they're only getting farther away.
There's something to be said, though, for filling out a roster with real, live, proven NHL contributors, especially when you've got a few foundational pieces in place. In Anaheim, those are Leo Carlsson, Mason McTavish, Cutter Gauthier and, hopefully, a defenseman or two. And they've all already spent more than enough time losing games.
Granlund, like Kreider and Trouba, will help change that. He remains a creative, fairly versatile player capable of contributing on a contender's middle six, as we saw with the Dallas Stars. Granlund landed there after rehabbing his value with the San Jose Sharks. Defensively, he's still a mess, a fact that the Stars helped mitigate, but he also seems capable of producing — at even strength and potentially on a power play — at level high enough to pull his weight. Expecting another season in the 60-point range wouldn't be unreasonable.
At this point in Granlund's career, he works best on the wing. Not coincidentally, Anaheim started free agency with one of the very worst groups of wingers in the league. Granlund's passing ability would slot in nicely next to Carlsson. His defensive impacts … less so. But hey, it could be worse.
Now, is he a $7 million AAV player on balance? Nope. Anaheim, though, still has approximately $30 million in salary-cap space. They shouldn't care, and it doesn't seem like they do. The term is short enough, too, to not pose any real problems.
On the player's end of things, Granlund gets an A-plus. He bottomed out in Pittsburgh, worked his way back in San Jose and then popped for the Stars on the way to the Western Conference final. At 33, he's cashing in, and he deserves it.
Contract grade: C-
Fit grade: B-