It’s been a busy day in the NHL for signings, and it appears players signing on the dotted line might not be over. According to Sportsnet analyst and hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, he notes: “Hearing Mikael Granlund will return to NASH on a one-year deal, around $3.75M.”
Related: Predators and Blue Jackets Become Favorites to Land UFA Mike Hoffman
There was plenty of talk that Granlund was looking to get a deal done with an NHL team before the holidays. While speculation was that he might go to a team like Columbus, returning to the Nashville Predators was never really out of the realm of possibility. That said, it wasn’t terribly likely considering he was brought to Nashville from Minnesota in a straight swap for Kevin Fiala, and that trade has not worked in the favor of the Predators. Granlund did not live up to expectations and perhaps the Predators want to salvage a bit of that deal.
If this contract comes to pass, Granlund is hoping to have more of a season like he had under current coach John Hynes than he did under former head coach Peter Laviolette.
With Laviolette, Granlund wasn’t great, but under Hynes, he picked up 11 goals in 27 games to lead the team in goals during that span. His ice time went up and his run near the end of the season made him one of the more talked-about free agents over this past offseason.
This is former multi-time 20-goal scorer, but should he not bounce back, there is a good chance that he can be flipped at the deadline for more assets.
Predators Have Work to Do
After the deal, Nashville will be left with $9,192,190 in cap space. That’s plenty of money to add another piece before the new season begins. GM David Poile still needs to get RFA Luke Kunin signed to a new deal as well.
Of course, there’s also the speculation that the Predators are heavily rumored to be involved in talks to sign Mike Hoffman.
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