Predators Acquire Mikael Granlund from Minnesota

Nashville, Tenn. (February 25, 2019) - Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Monday that the team has acquired forward Mikael Granlund from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for forward Kevin Fiala.
Granlund, 26 (2/26/92), is tied for first on the Wild in assists (34) and second in points with 49 (15g-34a) in 63 games played. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound right wing has also registered a team-high five game-winning goals and 18 power-play points (2g-16a) while averaging 17:56 of ice time per game. He's posted 11 multi-point efforts this season - including three three-point contests - and has five points (3g-2a) in his last eight games. He notched a career-high 69 points (26g-43a) during the 2016-17 season and followed it up with 67 points (21g-46a) last season, becoming the only Finnish-born player to reach that mark in the last two campaigns. Granlund has skated in 461 career games, producing 317 points (93g-224a), the eighth-most among players selected in the 2010 NHL Draft. Additionally, the Oulu, Finland, native has hit the 40-point mark in five of his seven NHL seasons and was nominated for the 2017 Lady Byng Award, given to the player who exhibits the best sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct.

Originally drafted in the first round (ninth overall) by the Wild in the 2010 NHL Draft, Granlund has posted more points than any other Minnesota skater and the second-most among all Finnish-born players with 309 (91g-218a) since his first full NHL season in 2013-14. He has represented Finland at the international level on several occasions, including the 2014 Winter Olympics, where he had seven points (3g-4a) en route to a bronze medal and a spot on the tournament's all-star team. Granlund competed at the World Junior Championship three times and was teammates with Predators forward Miikka Salomaki at the 2012 edition, tallying the most assists at the tournament with nine. He has also suited up for his country at the 2011 World Championship, winning a Gold Medal, and at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Prior to joining the Wild, Granlund was a product of the Karpat and HIFK programs in Finland and skated in 129 Liiga contests, tallying 127 points (41g-86a).