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Minnesota Wild: Mikael Granlund Deserves Major Pay Hike

By Suraj Sukumar

ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 22: Mikael Granlund #64 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck against the St. Louis Blues in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xcel Energy Center on April 22, 2017 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)
ST. PAUL, MN - APRIL 22: Mikael Granlund #64 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck against the St. Louis Blues in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2017 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the Xcel Energy Center on April 22, 2017 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Mikael Granlund proved to be a great young player in the NHL, and the Minnesota Wild will need to pay him top dollar

Mikael Granlund filed for arbitration after rejecting the Minnesota Wild’s qualifying offer. He joins Nino Niederreiter in the quest to gain a long-term, lucrative deal with the Wild.

While Niederreiter is more of a goal-scoring and physical winger, Granlund is an offensive playmaker with developing two-way ability. He led the Wild with 69 points in 81 games, scoring 26 goals with 43 assists. He continues to improve his overall production and reached career highs in both goals and assists.

From a defensive perspective, Granlund thrived under Bruce Boudreau. He was not given a huge opportunity under Mike Yost, but Boudreau moved him to the wing alongside Mikko Koivu and Granlund shined. He plays in all situations and even recorded three shorthanded goals last season.

Will Granlund’s Rise Continue?

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At the age of 26, Granlund is in his prime. He has shown tremendous offensive prowess and continues to develop his defensive game. He may not be a Stanley Cup-caliber center at this stage of his career, but his new-found presence on the left wing is something to acknowledge.

On the other hand, this was his first time surpassing the 50-point mark, and he was not as dynamic in the NHL playoffs as he was the year before. After scoring two goals and four assists in 10 games in 2015-16, he managed just two assists in five games this postseason. Given his age, there is a chance Granlund reached his full potential last season and his lack of production in the playoffs may hinder his value.

The Wild have high hopes for their current team, and playoff success is a major component of their long-term plans. If there was any area to criticize Granlund’s production, it would certainly be his lack of consistency in the playoffs.

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Despite his search for consistent postseason success, Granlund is poised to have another strong season. He has good chemistry with fellow countryman Koivu, and should be considered a potential 70-point threat in 2017-18. At the same time, Granlund will need to prove his game-breaking ability in the playoffs, as the Minnesota Wild chase their first Stanley Cup.

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