Penguins A to Z: Mikael Granlund is capable of offering so much more

With the Pittsburgh Penguins’ 2022-23 season coming to an end without any postseason action, the Tribune-Review will offer Penguins A to Z, a player-by-player look at all 49 individuals signed to an NHL contract — including those whose deals do not begin until next season — with the organization, from mid-level prospect Corey Andonovski to top-six winger Jason Zucker.

This series will publish every weekday leading into the NHL Draft on June 28 and 29.

(Note: All contract information courtesy of Cap Friendly.)

Mikael Granlund

Position: Center

Shoots: Left

Age: 31

Height: 5-foot-10

Weight: 185 pounds

2022-23 NHL statistics: 79 games, 41 points (10 goals, 31 assists)

Contract: In the second year of a four-year contract with a salary cap hit of $5 million. Pending unrestricted free agent in the 2025 offseason.

Acquired: Trade, March 1, 2023

Last season: On a lot of levels, the acquisition of Granlund from the Nashville Predators a few days before the trade deadline made sense.

The Penguins’ bottom-six forwards had largely struggled all season and Granlund, capable of playing both wings and center, filled a clear need. Heck, upon his arrival, he immediately became the Penguins’ best bottom-six forward, albeit through default.

But in reality, Gralund’s tenure with the Penguins fizzled almost as soon as it began.

Coming off the 2021-22 season in which he posted 64 points (11 goals, 53 assists) in 80 games while primarily playing on the Predators’ top line, Granlund’s production tumbled in 2022-23 as the Predators largely struggled to stay competitive. In 58 games with the Predators this past season, he had only 36 points (nine goals, 27 assists) while mainly being deployed on the first or second lines.

The time-honored cliche of a fresh start with a new team never really took hold for Granlund once he joined the Penguins.

Initially placed on the right wing of the third line with Jeff Carter at center and Danton Heinen on the left wing, Granlund never really found a regular set of linemates primarily due to the overall malfunctions of the team’s bottom-six forwards which were amplified by injuries.

The high point of Granlund’s existence as a member of the Penguins so far came during a 5-1 home win against the rival Philadelphia Flyers on March 11 when he collected a goal and an assist while centering the third line with Drew O’Connor at left wing and Rickard Rakell on the right wing.

That experiment lasted all of three games and Granlund was back to being part of a revolving door of mix-and-matched third and fourth lines — aside from a two-game stint on the second line — while also inhabiting roles on the second power-play unit (1:35 of power-play ice time per game) and the penalty kill (1:59 of short-handed ice time per game).

Defensively, Granlund was slightly in the black in terms of puck possession. Per Natural Stat Trick, he was on the ice for 240 shot attempts and 230 shot attempts against. But it would be a stretch to say his overall defensive game compensated for his limited offensive contributions.

In total, Granlund produced a mere five points (one goal, four assists) in 21 games with the Penguins.

The future: Whoever is hired as the Penguins’ next general manager will have some limitations with regard to potentially moving incumbent members of the roster as there are plenty of contracts on the payroll with no-movement or no-trade clauses.

Granlund is one of the few big-tickets on the roster with no such impediment (aside from convincing another general manager to take on a player in his early 30s coming off a subpar season with an ample cap hit).

That said, keeping Granlund wouldn’t be the most outrageous idea.

This is a talented player. He was the ninth overall selection in the 2010 NHL Draft by the Minnesota Wild and has carved out a steady, if unspectacular, existence as a versatile two-way player capable of producing at a reliable but hardly explosive rate. And given his ability to skate in all three forward positions, he could offer quite a bit of value to an aging roster that is typically trying to fill a hole or two in the lineup on any given night.

Regardless of what team he plays for going into next season, Granlund is capable of offering so much more than what he showed in 21 games with the Penguins.

Follow the Penguins all season long.