When rumors about the Nashville Predators moving Kevin Fiala really started to build, the worry was that they’d sell-low on a promising, but struggling, young player. Luckily, the Predators knew at least one person who’d appreciate Fiala’s skills: Minnesota Wild GM Paul Fenton. With keeping up with the Winnipeg Jets in mind, the Predators made a bold move, sending Fiala to Minnesota for a very nice forward in Mikael Granlund. The deal appears to be one-for-one, according to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, and other reporters (including The Athletic’s Mike Russo.) Predators receive: Mikael Granlund. Wild receive: Kevin Fiala. Predators keep pace The Winnipeg Jets added a needed center in Kevin Hayes, so the Predators were smart to go out and get one of their own, and Mikael Granlund is a very nice find. One nice bonus is that, unlike pending UFA Hayes, Granlund’s also not a rental — or maybe he’s one of those weekly rentals that old video stores offered. (R.I.P. Blockbuster, although those late fees were not cool.) Granlund, 26, carries a $5.75 million cap hit through 2019-20, so Nashville gets him for two potential playoff runs. Granlund generated 69 points in 2016-17, 67 last season, and has 49 points in 63 games. He’s a proven commodity with nice possession stats on what was a pretty sturdy possession team in Minnesota. The Predators’ second line had been struggling mightily this season, and while Kyle Turris‘ struggles have probably been exaggerated by injuries, the bottom line is that Nashville gets better down the middle. It was clear that Fiala was losing favor with Peter Laviolette/the Predators in general. Maybe Fiala will be a great piece in the future, but the Predators get more of a sure thing in Granlund, and they didn’t just throw away the speedy winger for one run. GM David Poile sure knows how to make trades, huh? Wild get younger At 26, Granlund isn’t ancient, but Fiala’s four years younger at 22. There are certain underlying numbers that indicate that we haven’t seen Fiala’s ceiling yet, and in the long run, the difference between the two might not end up being as big as it seems today.<doc-sep>The Nashville Predators trade for two more forwards to the mix but send two fan favorites in the deals. It is not the trade we were hoping to see, but they certainly are some of the best deals this trade deadline. Still, it stings just a bit. The Nashville Predators traded struggling forward Kevin Fiala to the Minnesota Wild for Mikael Granlund. It is a straight player for player exchange and a steal for the Predators. David Poile follows this up by trading Ryan Hartman and a 2020 fourth round pick to the Flyers for Wayne Simmonds. The pick can turn to a 3rd rounder if the Predators win their first-round playoff match. There is no doubting the amount of love Predators’ fan have for Fiala. The eleventh pick in the 2014 draft, Fiala showed great promise to be a top-6 scorer in the NHL. However, he has struggled to find the back of the net this season, obtaining only 10 goals and shooting 7.6%. He has also been a defensive liability at times earning a -11 plus/minus rating this season. While he has worked hard, the goals have not come. After a strong 2017-18 campaign which saw Fiala gain 23 goals and 48 points, he has failed to show consistent scoring now. Mikael Granlund, on the other hand, is on his way to a third straight season of 20 or more goals and 60 points. He led the Wild in assists (34) this season and was third in goals (15). The production on the ice has been what kept the Wild in the playoff race. The best part of the deal is simply the cost. The Nashville Predators only give up Fiala, who is an RFA after this season. He was likely to sign for a $3-4 million dollar deal if production improved. No draft picks or prospects were lost in this transaction. Eeli Tolvanen is still on the roster. Additionally, Granlund is signed to a good contract through 2020. The Predators can shallow his $5.75 million dollar contract. For a 60-point player, it is not a bad deal. However, unless another contract is moved, they only have about $5 million in cap space this offseason. Still, Granlund provides consistent scoring that will help the second line. Plus, he can play wing or center, giving the team more versatility. Personally, I am sadder to see Hartman leave but understand the trade. Hartman has only 10 goals and 10 assists on the season and is a restricted free agent this offseason. While be is energetic on the ice and is a bit of a “sandpaper” player, the Predators needed a bit more scoring depth. Simmonds can bring that type of play. With the Flyers, Simmonds has 16 goals and 11 assists this season, along with a plus/minus of -20. But, the Flyers have given up 27 more goals than they scored on the season. Simmonds is a bit of a bigger bodied player who doesn’t mind hitting his opponent. For a strong playoff run, a bit more scoring and physicality is needed. Simmonds is likely a rental player, as he is a free agent at the end of the season. He makes just under $4 million per season, but the Predators may not have that room for him after this year. The good part of these trades. First, the Nashville Predators gained two solid players with scoring ability. The lost three players in the deal, one is a draft pick in 2020. Nashville keeps their first round picks in the coming drafts and do not lose any prospects like Eeli Tolvanen and Dante Fabbro. All in all, it was a good – but sad – day.<doc-sep>Minnesota Wild winger Mikael Granlund likely wasn't paying much attention to Monday's trade deadline because his fiancée was in labor, but he probably knows now that he'll be buying a Nashville Predators onesie for the new baby. The 26-year-old was traded to the Preds for winger Kevin Fiala, and Minnesota general manager Paul Fenton told reporters that he felt bad for disrupting the couple's life. But Fenton knew what he wanted in Fiala. Fenton is in his first year at Minnesota after serving 12 years as an assistant GM in Nashville. "This was a hockey trade," Fenton said, according to the Star-Tribune. "Both teams got better." Granlund, 26, has a $5.75 million cap hit and is under contract through the 2019-20 season. He has 15 goals and 49 points in 63 games this season. The second-place Predators needed some kind of answer to Central Division leader Winnipeg's acquisition of Kevin Hayes. Granlund had 67 points last season and 69 the season before. Fiala, 22, is on the final year of his entry-level contract and is a restricted free agent this summer. He has 10 goals and 32 points in 64 games this season. He had a career-high 48 points last season. Minnesota is clinging to the second wild card in the West.<doc-sep>With the trade deadline approaching by the minute, and the Vegas Golden Knights closing in on Mark Stone (they eventually got him, and are working on an extension now), David Poile made a move elsewhere, adding to Minnesota Wild GM Paul Fenton’s collection of former Predators/Milwaukee Admirals by sending Kevin Fiala up north in exchange for forward Mikael Granlund. Granlund was the Wild’s second leading scorer, with 49 points (15 goals, 34 assists) through 63 games. Kevin Fiala had 32 points (ten goals, 22 assists) through 64 games, and had been prey to a lot of bad puck luck. In terms of on-ice results, the two players have some uncanny similarities: Mikael Granlund (to Nasvhille) is very good offensively at both 5v5 and 5v4, a decent shot, a good penalty killer, with a good penalty differential, and ok defensively. Keven Fiala (to Minnesota) is better offensively at 5v5 and slightly weaker at 5v4 but otherwise similar. pic.twitter.com/9PYMqXDt0S — Micah Blake McCurdy (@IneffectiveMath) February 25, 2019 Of course, the big differences are how they get those results and—maybe even more so—their contract statuses. Fiala is a 22-year-old who will be a restricted free agent this summer. Granlund turns 27 tomorrow and is under contract until next summer with a cap hit of $5.75 million. Granlund is weaker in transition than Fiala: And, although it’s a small sample size from the games Corey Sznajder has tracked so far this season, looking at the last three years doesn’t make this aspect of the trade look better: But once they get into the offensive zone, Granlund has been excellent as a playmaker in ways Fiala has not: Granlund is well above league average in pre-shot puck movement, especially when it comes to the dangerous areas directly around the net. If this is Granlund, and not the Wild, this will benefit the Predators a lot, as they’ve struggled to create good pre-shot movement. This is obviously a trade of potential for certainty—Granlund, a known quantity, has had two 60-point, 20-goal seasons at this point in his career (2016-17 and 2017-18), although he has not been on quite that pace this season. Fiala is more of an unknown quantity, playing in his second full NHL season.<doc-sep>
ST. PAUL, MN - JANUARY 19: Mikael Granlund #64 of the Minnesota Wild skates with the puck during a game with the Columbus Blue Jackets at Xcel Energy Center on January 19, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images) The Minnesota Wild have indeed sent Mikael Granlund to the Nashville Predators, and here’s how the trade grades out for both sides. The Minnesota Wild hold the final playoff spot in the West right now, but they will be making a potential push to the postseason with a different set of players. After indications of interest from the Predators earlier Monday, Bob McKenzie of TSN first reported the Wild will send winger Mikael Granlund to Nashville for winger Kevin Fiala. Granlund is second on the Wild with 49 points this season, but he has just five goals in the last 46 games. He did lead the team with 18 power play points (two goals, 16 assists) though, and Nashville needs help with the man advantage as well as offensively as a whole. Entering Monday’s action, the Predators are last in the league in power play percentage (12.6 percent) and 13th in goals (3.00 per game). Fiala was drafted by Nashville 11th overall in the 2014 draft, a pick Wild general manager Paul Fenton announced when he was in the Predators’ front office. His scoring output is down so far this year (10 goals and 22 assists in 64 games) due in part to a drop in shooting percentage (7.6 percent). But as a 21-year old in 2017-18, Fiala had 23 goals and 25 assists and was a +20 over 80 games. Predators Get W Mikael Granlund Wild Get W Kevin Fiala The Wild will clear Granlund’s $5.75 million for next year off the books, while getting younger as Fiala gets to the end of his entry-level contract. Via Pro Hockey Rumors, Fiala would be in line for a qualifying offer just shy of $875,000, but the Wild may give him a multi-year proverbial “bridge contract” with a boost from that salary level. The short-sighted instant reaction is that Minnesota surely had more coming in return for Granlund, or they at least should have gotten more. But Michael Russo of The Athletic has confirmed it’s a 1-for-1 deal. Right now I'm led to believe it's 1 for 1…. https://t.co/qyIgjjs0Sd — Michael Russo (@RussoHockey) February 25, 2019 This trade is a win for both sides. Nashville gets a goal scorer and power play producer they need in Granlund, who may be sparked by a change of scenery. The Wild clear much-needed cap space, with the remainder of Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contracts hanging over them, while adding a young speedster with 30-40 goal upside in Fiala. Trade Grade-Minnesota Wild: A Trade Grade-Nashville Predators: A