As the San Jose Sharks wait for the trade deadline to come and allow the team to move on from the bulk of the roster that is said to be open for business, we can look at players that might be moving on from the Bay Area. One such player that the team in teal could be looking to move will be Finnish veteran forward Mikael Granlund, who was listed on the Daily Faceoff trade targets board. At 15, he's apparently a sought after player.
With the logic the Granlund is going to net the best return of anyone on the roster that isn't named Tomas Hertl or Logan Couture, and the fact the Sharks only have one retention slot left as they continue to pay both Brent Burns and Erik Karlsson, it's unlikely that we see this player leave the Bay Area in a deal that sees him retained on by the Sharks. They could pay for someone else to retain, but that would lower the net return for the player.
With that said, Granlund is still going to garner interest from around the league. He's been one of the bright lights in a dim season for the hockey team in the bay. With 5 goals and 24 assists for 29 points in just 38 games, Granlund is going to be one of the most valuable assets the Sharks have when we get to the deadline, but that doesn't mean that he will be traded because he makes $5 million against the cap, and he has an extra year of term at the age of 32 (or he will be 32 in a few days).
For me, it's only worth moving on from the Finnish centerman if the return is a first-round pick or more. Teams like the Boston Bruins could be sniffing around in the center market, so there will be interest just based on how thin the market is right now. What Mike Grier does is going to to come to light with time, but that time is fading, with the deadline now less than a month away.