Predators' Granlund to test free agency

Nashville Predators forward Mikael Granlund will be available as a free agent this offseason.

We will be seeing what the open market has to offer," his representative, Todd Diamond, told The Athletic's Adam Vingan on Monday.

When asked if Granlund has ruled out rejoining the Predators, Diamond declined to answer directly, instead reiterating that his client won't re-sign before free agency begins.

Granlund will be one of the top free-agent forwards. The 28-year-old struggled after the Minnesota Wild traded him to Nashville in 2018-19, and he remained inconsistent at the start of this season.

However, the Finnish veteran raised his game when the Predators hired John Hynes to replace Peter Laviolette as their head coach in January. Granlund posted only six goals and 14 points across the first 35 games of the campaign under Laviolette, but he led the club with 11 goals in the 28 regular-season contests following Hynes' hiring. His average ice time also rose from 16:45 to 19:07 after the coaching change.

The Wild traded Granlund to the Predators for forward Kevin Fiala in February 2019. Granlund spent the first six seasons of his career with Minnesota, which dealt him to Nashville during his seventh. The Wild drafted him ninth overall in 2010.

Granlund is in the final campaign of a three-year, $17.25-million contract he inked with Minnesota in summer 2017.

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