The Minnesota Wild have been one of the biggest success stories in the first half of the 2024-25 NHL season.
The Wild look like legitimate championship contenders as they enter Friday with a 21-10-4 record (46 points), which is good for third place in the Western Conference. John Hynes' club looks like a different team than the one that missed last year's playoffs, leaving time to tell if the momentum will be carried into the season's second half.
One way that the Wild can improve their championship outlook is through the trade market. Minnesota hasn't been getting much offensive production outside of Kirill Kaprizov, Marco Rossi and Matt Boldy, meaning it's likely in general manager Bill Guerin's best interest to shop for another top-six forward.
Assuming the team goes down that route, The Athletic's Chris Johnston has the Wild potentially targeting San Jose Sharks forward Mikael Granlund.
"Minnesota could really use a forward who can toggle between center and wing while chipping in with some offense," Johnston wrote. "Granlund ticks all of those boxes and should come with an added level of comfort given his familiarity with the organization."
The Wild are more than familiar with Granlund, a pending unrestricted free agent, after drafting him ninth overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Finnish forward played almost seven seasons in Minnesota before he was traded to the Nashville Predators in exchange for Kevin Fiala ahead of the trade deadline in 2019.
Nearly six years have passed since that trade, so it's possible both the Wild and Granlund are open to a reunion at this point. Acquiring him would not only improve Minnesota's scoring depth, but it'd also offer the 5-foot-10 center his best shot at winning a Stanley Cup.
Even though the Sharks have been terrible this season, Granlund has found ways to give the fanbase something to cheer about. The former Lady Byng Trophy finalist has racked up 11 goals, 22 assists and a 46.1 faceoff percentage through 35 games while his 0.94 point-per-game clip makes for the best offensive pace of his career.
Assuming that a deal can be pulled off, it's easy to see how Granlund could perfectly fit on the Wild's second line alongside Boldy and Marcus Johansson.
Granlund's $5 million cap hit could be an obstacle in the way of a potential Wild-Sharks trade. Minnesota only has $1.15 million in remaining cap space, per PuckPedia, while San Jose doesn't have any spots left to retain salary.
Although Jacob Middleton and Joel Eriksson Ek's eventual returns from the injured reserve will free up some money, the Wild might have to move another player if they're seriously interested in reuniting with Granlund.
At the end of the day, Granlund is the perfect veteran performer who can help take the Wild to the next level. Not only does he have 168 goals and 577 points in 854 regular-season outings, but he's also tallied plenty of spring hockey experience with 32 points in 59 postseason games.
With a resume like that, Granlund will likely attract a ton of attention before the March 7 trade deadline. Guerin & Co. will want to act on any potential interest sooner than later if they want to avoid a bidding war.
Now that the Wild are reporting that Kaprizov is dealing with a lower-body injury, a potential pursuit for Granlund could be kicked into high gear depending on the severity of the issue.
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