Free agent center Mikael Granlund signed a three-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks, worth $7 million annually, on Tuesday. This is a headline in the world of ice hockey.
Granlund, a player to watch in free agency, arrives at the Ducks after his time with the Dallas Stars, where the salary cap situation made it difficult for him to stay. The Stars couldn’t offer him a competitive sum compared to what the 33-year-old player could get on the open market.
Initially, it was anticipated that this free agency window would be lucrative for centers. However, several key players like Sam Bennett, Matt Duchene, Brock Nelson, and John Tavares remained with their current teams. Jonathan Toews, for his part, signed with the Winnipeg Jets, his hometown team.
This meant that any team looking for a first or second-line center would have to invest heavily to acquire those available. Granlund, with his versatility to also play on the wing, secured the most lucrative contract of his career with a team looking to qualify for the playoffs in the 2025-26 season.
Granlund, a player who has scored 20 goals in three seasons, finished with 22 goals and 66 points in the previous season, starting with the San Jose Sharks before being acquired by the Stars at the trade deadline. In Dallas, he was part of a group of five Finnish players nicknamed “The Finnish Mafia”, along with Miro Heiskanen, Roope Hintz, Esa Lindell, and Mikko Rantanen.
The “Finnish Mafia” was key for the Stars to advance to the Western Conference final for the third consecutive year, before being eliminated by the Edmonton Oilers for the second time in a row.
Granlund’s skills, as a reliable center in any situation, were crucial for the Stars. However, they couldn’t retain him due to financial constraints.
Here’s where the Anaheim Ducks come in.
After seven consecutive seasons without qualifying for the playoffs, the Ducks have leveraged the draft to build their team. They have developed talents like Troy Terry, Leo Carlsson, Lukas Dostal, Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson LaCombe, and Mason McTavish, to which they added young talents through trades, such as Cutter Gauthier and Drew Helleson.
After obtaining 80 points for the first time since the 2018-19 season, the Ducks hope to reach new heights next season.
The Ducks’ general manager, Pat Verbeek, fired Greg Cronin after two seasons and hired Joel Quenneville, who led the Chicago Blackhawks to win three Stanley Cup titles.
Verbeek also negotiated the transfer of winger Chris Kreider from the New York Rangers, to strengthen the team’s offense. In addition, he traded forward Trevor Zegras and goaltender John Gibson, freeing up more than $35.9 million in salary cap space.
This suggests that the Ducks could make more signings in free agency, while also reserving cap space for restricted free agents like Dostal, McTavish, and Helleson.
Granlund was signed with the idea that he could play in the center or on the wing, reinforcing an attack that could compete for the wild card spots in the Western Conference, after finishing 16 points behind the St. Louis Blues in the 2024-25 season.
