SAN JOSE – Even if it made sense for the San Jose Sharks, there’s no way general manager Mike Grier would ask Finnish-born center Mikael Granlund – a pending unrestricted free agent – to skip the 4 Nations Face-Off to help ensure he stays healthy and preserves his trade value.
“When you get a chance to play for your country, especially an event like this, and an event like the Olympics, it’s just too special of an opportunity,” Grier said earlier this week. “Knowing what it would have meant to me to be able to do something like that, I wouldn’t ask someone — even though maybe it’s in the best interest of us or whatever — wouldn’t ask (Granlund) otherwise.”
Granlund was named to Finland’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in December and on Thursday, was selected as one of the team’s three assistant captains. Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers was named Finland’s captain and Carolina Hurricanes forwards Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen are the other assistants.
“It’s always an honor to be a part of the leadership group,” Granlund said Thursday before the Sharks played the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena. “Obviously, really, really excited for the tournament overall.”
The NHL is pausing its schedule from Feb. 9-22 for the event that has Finland, Sweden, Canada and the United States playing each other in a round robin next month, with the top two teams meeting in the final on Feb. 20. Granlund is the only Sharks player participating.
Since the event marks the first time the best players from each of the four countries will play each other since the 2014 Winter Olympics, the games are expected to be intense.
“Obviously all of the countries have their best team, so I’m expecting it to be an intense tournament,” Granlund said. “It should be fun to play and obviously fun to watch.”
With that in mind, while Granlund has been durable during his time with the Sharks, having played in 82 of the team’s last 84 games after Thursday, there’s no guarantee he or any other player will come out of it fully healthy.
That’s led to speculation that there might be some trade activity before 4 Nations round robin play begins on Feb. 12, as general managers protect themselves against their players getting seriously hurt, which would clearly hamper any efforts to deal them before the March 7 trade deadline.
Granlund is arguably the Sharks’ most attractive trade piece. Not only did he lead the team with 44 points going into Thursday, but he’s also San Jose’s best defensive forward, killing penalties, blocking shots and regularly matching up against the opposing team’s top lines.
Grier said he’s not closing any doors in terms of trying to re-sign any player who is a pending UFA but will do his due diligence in terms of trying to make the Sharks a better team next year and into the future. He said he hasn’t noticed any uptick in trade chatter because of the 4 Nations, adding that any talks that go on at this point – five weeks before the deadline – is just part of the normal course of business.
“I think this time of year, conversation start because, just like us, all teams are getting out of their pro meetings,” Grier said. “So, it’s fresh in their head what other teams’ rosters look like, and what players of interest might be there. So it’s been normal so far, but we’ll see. There’s still a couple of weeks before that break.”
Granlund’s contract carries a $5 million cap hit, perhaps making any trade involving him well before the deadline more of a challenge. But each NHL team has their own salary cap guru and might be able to find a way to fit a player if they really want him.
After Thursday, the Sharks have three more games before the break begins, as they host the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday, the Vancouver Canucks next Thursday and the Dallas Stars on Feb. 8.
While it would be a surprise to see Granlund traded before the break begins, no one can say for sure what will happen afterward, whether he’ll be dealt to a contender, sign with another team this summer or remain with the Sharks past this season. For now, Sharks coach Ryan Warsofsky just expects Granlund to keep doing what he’s been doing.
“We’ve talked about that all year, how important he is to our group, on and off the ice, the way he competes,” Warsofsky said. “He came (into camp in) terrific shape to play big minutes, heavy minutes, against teams’ top lines. On top of that, when he doesn’t have his ‘A’ game, his ‘B’ and ‘C’ game still impacts the hockey game.
“(Granlund is) really good at communicating with the younger players, so it doesn’t shock me or surprise me that he’s wearing a letter for (Finland). He deserves it, he’s a leader through and through.”