NHL Free Agent News: Mikael Granlund Linked to Canadian Team In Free Agency

Veteran center Mikael Granlund has done a fine job for the Dallas Stars since being acquired from the San Jose Sharks this season. But he's heading into unrestricted free agency, and with the list of available centers on the open market not having any impact names aside from Sam Bennett, Granlund should be a fairly hotly pursued commodity.

One team that could have its sights set on the Finnish pivot is the Montreal Canadiens. Tony Marinaro and Jean-Charles Lajoie of TVA are suggesting that Granlund "could well be one of the Habs' GM's prime targets."

Kent Hughes has made it a top priority this offseason to find a second-line center. Granlund possesses the excellent playmaking skills that would be a nice fit alongside burgeoning star winger Ivan Demidov.

Granlund with the assist FROM HIS KNEES to the Harley for the snipe 😱 pic.twitter.com/D2iT3gIYAO
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 11, 2025

Lajoie figures this would be a no-brainer to try to sign Granlund to a short-term deal—even if the Habs are able to bring in a bigger star for the 2C role. Granlund is versatile, and can play the wing as well.

"If you manage to acquire a true second-line center, sign Granlund anyway," Lajoie said on TVA Sports' JiC show this week. "He becomes an extraordinary center for your third line, and as soon as there's a problem on your top six, he can fill in, which is something Christian Dvorak wasn't able to do."

His performance in this year's playoffs for Dallas—9 points in 15 games, including a hat trick—has further increased Granlund's value as he heads into free agency.

THERE IT IS! GRANLUND BLASTS HOME THE HATTY 🎩🎩🎩 pic.twitter.com/qyTE5J8WJr
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) May 14, 2025

The 33-year-old is projected by AFP Analytics to be able to pull in a two-year deal worth right at about the $5 million AAV mark.

He posted 22 goals and 44 assists for 66 points in 83 outings this season (one extra game due to the trade), and has generally been a 60+ point producer in his career, with 610 points in 902 NHL games over 13 seasons.