The San Jose Sharks traded former Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund and defenseman Cody Ceci to the Dallas Stars in exchange for a 2025 first-round pick and a 2025 fourth-round pick, the teams announced Saturday.
Granlund, 32, was first acquired by the Predators on Feb. 25, 2019, when Nashville sent future star winger Kevin Fiala to the Minnesota Wild.
The Finnish center played parts of five seasons with the Predators, recording 51 goals, 111 assists, and 162 points in 268 regular season games.
The Predators traded Granlund to the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1, 2023, acquiring a 2023 second-round pick (Kalan Lind) in return. Granlund had only one goal and five points in 21 games with the Pens before being moved to San Jose.
“I’m sure it’s not easy for the group. [Granlund] has been a big part of us here since he’s gotten here. Not only his on-ice play but what he’s done off-ice,” Sharks general manager Mike Grier said of Granlund. “He’s really helped mentor some of our young players. He practiced hard, played hard all the time, and tried to share his knowledge.”
It is understandable why the Stars paid a first-round pick as part of the package for Granlund; the crafty center was highly productive with the Sharks, scoring 27 goals, 78 assists, and 105 points in only 121 games.
This is, without a doubt, the best stretch of Granlund’s career since his breakout in Minnesota and his 64-point 2021-22 season with the Predators.
The Stars, as the Predators’ Central Division rivals, stand to capitalize on that. It is worth noting, too, that Stars center Tyler Seguin underwent hip surgery on Dec. 4, so Granlund will have a big role to play if the Stars want to make a deep run in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
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