Subscribe
Follow Us
It has been a busy start to the summer for the Anaheim Ducks. While the team fell short in the Mitch Marner sweepstakes, they would still land a quality forward. The Ducks signed Mikael Granlund to a 3-year, $21 million contract. While the franchise landed a quality forward, they may have paid too much for the former Dallas Star.
Anaheim started its offseason with the hiring of Joel Quenneville to be its next head coach. They would then trade for Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers, before shipping off Trevor Zegras to the Philadelphia Flyers. They would then trade John Gibson to the Detroit Red Wings before signing Granlund. The Ducks still need to re-sign restricted free agent Mason McTavish, but have almost $29 million in cap space still to work with.
Granlund was the ninth overall pick of the 2010 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild. He would enter the NHL with the Wild in the 2012-13 season, but really broke out during the 2016-17 campaign. He would score 26 goals that year and add 43 assists, for 69 total points. Still, in February 2019, he would be traded to the Nashville Predators and re-sign with the franchise. The Finnish forward would be traded again in 2023, this time to the Pittsburgh Penguins, and then once again to the San Jose Sharks before the start of the 2023-24 campaign. Then, during the 2024-25 season, Granlund would be moved to the Stars. Now, he will head to California on a three-year deal.
The Ducks get a great forward, but may have overpaid
Anaheim needs scoring help. McTavish led the team in goals last year, while Troy Terry led the team in points. McTavish scored just 22 goals this past season, which is the same total Granlund had this past campaign. The forward is not a major goal scorer overall, though, with his career high being just 26 goals. Still, for a team where the high point was 22 goals, he will help there. Where there will be major help is total point production, and on the powerplay. Terry led the team with 55 points, a mark that Granlund has surpassed three of the last four years.
Meanwhile, Granlund put up 19 powerplay points this past year, which would have led the Ducks. During the entirety of his career, he has averaged 17 powerplay points per season. Considering McTavish led the team with 12 powerplay points this last year, Granlund will be a major upgrade there. Still, at $7 million per year, the Ducks may have overpaid. He is now the second-highest-paid player on the team, and is 33 years old. The Ducks had the cap space to make this move, but if the Finnish skater declines, it could come back to be an issue.
Final thoughts and grade on the Mikael Granlund contract
For the Ducks, this is basically a swap of forwards. Granlund will join the second line with McTavish, when he re-signs, and the new addition, Kreider. Still, this is a move to replace Zegras overall. Zegras will make $5.75 million this year, so Granlund is making more, and based on the production of Granlund, in recent years, it may be a slight overpay. A general rule of contract efficiency would have a player make $100,000 per point. Granlund had a great final year of his contract, scoring 66 points, but that equates closer to a $6.6 million contract, not the $7 million he is making. Further, his career averages are 55.45 points per 82 games, which would make this more of a $5.5 to $6 million deal. It may be a slight overpay, but with the Ducks' cap situation, they can afford that.
The bigger issue is age. Zegras will not turn 25 until the end of next season. Meanwhile, Granlund will be turning 34 this year, while Kreider, who will likely join the second line as well, is turning 35. Granlund has been better than Zegras over the past two seasons, but at their peaks, they have been similar. The peak for Zegras was in the 2022-23 season, while for Granlund, it may have been the 2016-17 season. If the Finn can be at the same level he was last year, this contract may be solid, but it is a risk.
For the former first-round pick, this is a great contract. He is getting a $2 million per year raise from his last contract. Further, he has a no-trade clause this year, which moves to a modified no-trade clause next season. He will also be just 36 when the contract ends, which will allow him to still sign another deal and chase a Stanley Cup if he so chooses, at the end of his career.
Overall, Granlund made the most of his last season before his contract expired and cashed in big time. The only negative to this contract is that he has left a team with his Finnish teammates that was competing for the Cup in the Stars. Now, he is joining a franchise that is at minimum a year away, if not more, from competing to lift Lord Stanley.
Anaheim Ducks Grade: C
Mikael Granlund Grade: A-
