Carolina Hurricanes: Scavenging the Carcass of the Nashville Predators

Mikael Granlund

Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of this player before. It might be partially because of the fact he’s a good player, maybe because he’s Finnish and you were watching highlights from the cherubs. However, Mikael Granlund has been admired by the Carolina Hurricanes front office for a long time, going back to his days with the Minnesota Wild.

In the off-season when Granlund was a free agent, Carolina was rumored to be closely monitoring the situation. However, a flat cap meant the Canes didn’t exactly have the money to bring in another top 6 forward and he re-signed in Nashville on a 1-year $3.75 million dollar deal. It does mean he’s a rental, but given Carolina’s current cap situation with free agents, it might not be a bad thing.

Granlund was the 9th overall pick in the 2010 NHL entry draft, and being an Oulu, Finland native, you’d have to imagine he’d fit in well seeing as the Canes do have the son of the great Oulu Karpat general manager. It does not mean that the player will seamlessly fit in just because he is Finnish. As seen with another Nashville Predator during his time in Carolina in Erik Haula.

Back to Mikael Granlund, where does he fit in? Well, he fits the need for an extra top 9 forward in Carolina. He’s capable of playing center or on the wing and really allows flexibility up and down the team. You have the option of the full Finnish first line, slotting him beside some of the leading producers on the second line, or spreading the wealth with him on the 3rd line.

Granlund has played a career total of 558 NHL games collecting 115 NHL goals and 246 assists for 361 points so far. This season, he has 4 goals and 5 assists for 9 points in 18 games with a slacking Nashville team. Still showing that he can be a 40 point producer over the course of a normal year. Extra-depth has never hurt anyone and Granlund would certainly help make the Hurricanes roster deeper.

What would be the cost for this player? Well, rumors are surfacing that the cost for Granlund could be as little as a 2nd and a 3rd round pick. While two assets for a rental might not seem like a good idea, if you win the cup, it’s basically a 3rd and a 4th rounder, and who really cares at that point? If a 2nd and a 3rd are all it costs for Granlund, it’s a move that should be considered.

Where’s the ideal spot for Granlund in the lineup? I’d imagine he slots in on the 2nd line, allowing the team to put the vaunted SAT line together, while still providing themselves the depth to threaten with all four lines. As another left-handed shot, he’d be perhaps a nice addition to the left-wing over someone whose scoring ability doesn’t strike the same fear into opponents.

Viktor Arvidsson

With Nashville burning it down, this one may seem to be a little more desirable than the idea of acquiring another Finnish center. So let’s have a Swedish winger instead. Viktor Arvidsson is the player of choice here. While there hasn’t been a link between this player and the Hurricanes in previous times, I find it difficult to believe that it isn’t a nice idea to target the Swede.

Arvidsson, who turns 28 on April 8th, makes $4.25 million for this season and the three after. His contract situation doesn’t help the cap struggles the Canes will have. However, his deal is more than worth it. Ideally a top 6 winger, Arvidsson would be a great addition to any team trying to push for that Stanley Cup championship.

Over the course of his career, the Swedish winger has 121 goals and 107 assists for an oddly pleasing 228 points in 367 NHL games. I know that the 367 NHL games at the age of 28 is not good, and yes, Arvidsson has struggled with injuries during his career. However, when he’s in the lineup he has a substantial scoring rate, despite it slowing down in recent years.

As a Right shot winger, he fills a need Carolina has suffered with for a long time. Either to give equality to that first line or to throw him on the 3rd line to provide a solid shooting option on his off-wing, it’s something that the Canes lineup could use to thrive. It provides flexibility up and down the lineup and would add something Carolina’s forward core lacks.

So what would it take for the Swede? I’m sure you’ve worked out at this point, Arvidsson won’t be a cheap piece to acquire. I’d imagine David Poile would start with asking for a 1st round pick in the 2021 NHL entry draft, without any sort of protection. If not that, I’d imagine he would have a prospect in mind and an early-round pick.

This is a steep price to pay when space under the NHL salary cap is a premium and you’re likely not going to shift anything back to the Predators in any deal. However, the team is so much better with the theoretical addition of Arvidsson that the pros outweigh the cons in this scenario and make it a move, in my opinion, that the Canes should definitely explore if it is possible.

Calle Jarnkrok

One player that might fly under the radar in the rebuild in Nashville is one Calle Jarnkrok. Not known for being a particularly great producer offensively, Jarnkrok would be a good addition to the middle six of any lineup across the league. Yes, this Swede isn’t as high-caliber as some of the others on the Predators roster, yet he’s the one I’ve singled out here, and for some reasons.

While Calle Jarnkork is not a standout player on any roster, he very well could be a good complimentary piece on a true contender like the situation the Canes find themself in. Jarnkrok is capable of playing anywhere in the forward core, and would ideally fill out the 3rd line perfectly to make it a little more intimidating when in the offensive zone. Not a major pickup, but better than what you might think.

Jarnkrok in his career has played in 485 NHL games and has 90 NHL goals with 108 assists to make up 198 points. This is not someone who’s going to light the lamp every single night, but he’s capable of producing in a bottom-six role which is a major need for Carolina right now. When the top 6 is not functioning, there’s going to be times you need that bottom 6 to stand up.

Jarnkrok would likely slot in on the 3rd line as a depth scoring option to really allow the Canes to roll with three lines that can hurt you on the scoreboard and one line that can hurt you in your body. While needing scorers on your 3rd line is a relatively nice problem to have in comparison to years past, someone like Jarnkrok could very well end up making this Canes team deeper.

So, what would the cost be for Jarnkrok? I’d imagine something like a 2nd rounder should be enough for David Poile to bite the bullet with this Swedish forward. It’s certainly not going to cost the far to bring in this sort of depth, but the forward market is going to be kind of sparse with proven quality depth guys like this.

Could it be cheaper? Certainly. Plus, Jarnkrok isn’t a guy you’ll find anywhere listed as trade bait. He would be a very quiet and almost under the radar pickup. He would bolster the depth significantly, especially with the injuries already stockpiling in this shortened season. It’s no secret you need to be deep to win Championships, and Jarnkrok would make this team deeper.

There are probably more Predators I could have talked about but I wanted to keep a limit on it. I don’t want to push a narrative and I should reiterate that this is all just theoretical. I do not have access to any information that isn’t already public. I am just talking about the idea of these players in Carolina, so feel free to yell at me about how these players are all bad ideas to trade for!