BREAKING: Mikael Granlund being traded for a 2023 2nd round pick

The Nashville Predators are trading forward Mikael Granlund to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 2023 second-round pick.

TRADE

To Pittsburgh #LetsGoPens
F Mikael Granlund

To #Smashville Predators
2023 2nd round pick (PIT)https://t.co/87341u4eUj

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) March 2, 2023

Granlund hasn’t been the same player this season as he was in previous years. He has 36 points in 58 games in 2022-23 with only 9 goals, and his analytics have been very poor. However, on a team like the Penguins, he could prove to be a very useful depth center or even play on the wing of Evgeni Malkin if head coach Mike Sullivan believes that’s the best fit for him.

The biggest thing for the Predators is not getting rid of a player that has had a poor season but more so moving on from an asset that was declining and is owed a combined $10 million over the next two seasons. Nashville clears even more cap space by not retaining any salary, and to get a 2023 second-round pick in return is about as much as one could ask. It’s excellent asset management, and David Poile, with the help of Barry Trotz, is doing an excellent job of setting up for the future.