The Mikael Granlund Situation is a complicated one for the San Jose Sharks

Mikael Granlund has been one of the best San Jose Sharks this season. He sits second in the team's production, scoring six goals and 25 assists for 31 points in 42 games. That is three points back of the team-leading Tomas Hertl, and in six fewer games, Granlund is proving he has been one of the better Sharks. The fascinating debate comes when the question about Granlund's future arises.

Mike Grier has been open for a long time about the organization's future. He's listening to offers on almost anyone. While trading some depth players that the Sharks can replace with younger players with room to grow and pending unrestricted free agents who are about to leave the organization for nothing makes sense, Granlund is the second-highest producer on the team and has another year on his deal.

So, what do the Sharks do with Granlund? His name has started to come up in rumors around the league for teams that need centers and forward scoring, but the Sharks could also see a substantial dropoff in its already brittle scoring when the Finn moves on, if that happens to be the case. While he could net another first-round draft pick, which the rebuilding organization would adore, San Jose already sits last in goals scored. Moving the team's second-highest scorer on has risks.

First, there is always the risk of the team dropping Granlund's value to a place it won't recover from. His success this season has elevated it to a point where selling high seems like the no-brainer thing to do. It's made a lot harder by the injuries that Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl are dealing with. Given that Granlund, as one of the elder statesmen, also fills the leadership void with those two gone, there are many good reasons to retain his services.

However, the Sharks know they must find a way to keep the rebuild progressing. With young players like Will Smith, Quentin Musty, and William Eklund already on their way into the setup, the Sharks must continue collecting promising young talent. Moving Granlund away would do that, and it could be another situation where they take a cap dump and turn it into a positive asset.

There is no correct answer here. There are people in this management core who specialize in player deals and trades, and it will be those who are tasked with deciding when to pull the trigger on moving the Finnish forward away. Whether they do that before the trade deadline on March 8th, in the summer, or even if they retain him, time holds the answer. So, I leave you with a question: What would you do?