Penguins add Granlund from Predators

The Pittsburgh Penguins acquired forward Mikael Granlund from the Nashville Predators in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick, the teams announced Wednesday.

The deal comes shortly after the Pens flipped Teddy Blueger to the Vegas Golden Knights.

Granlund has recorded nine goals and 27 assists in 58 games with the Preds this season. A veteran of 11 NHL seasons, the 31-year-old can play all three forward positions. However, his underlying numbers over the past three seasons have been poor.

The 31-year-old is signed through 2024-25 with a $5-million cap hit.

A three-time 60-point producer, the Pens will look for Granlund to add an offensive spark to the team's bottom-six forward group if they wish to play him in that role. It's possible he plays wing on one of the top two lines centered by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.

If he centers one of the bottom two lines, it'll be a defensive downgrade from Blueger, who excelled in a shutdown role but provided little offense.

The Predators, meanwhile, have now traded away Nino Niederreiter, Tanner Jeannot, Mattias Ekholm, and Granlund - all players with team control - since Saturday.

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