Has Mikael Granlund become the premier offensive player that has eluded Minnesota for so long?

[Advanced stats]

I would agree with that. How many of those 45 players would you say a team can build a cup contender around?

Most if not all of them.

 

[TaLoN]

Granlund has been taking steady steps forward for a while now, and at 27, he might just be entering his prime. Stats:6g 6a 12p in 12 games. He started of the year slow but now has a nine game point streak and 12 points in those nine games. It looks like his shot is much more lethal this year, which has been opening up more options for him.

Could Granlund finally be the weapon MN has been missing since gaborik?

Granlund is 26.

Also, slow is not the descriptor I'd use for Granlund's start this season... see my explanation here...

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/granlund-is-beasting.2562657/

What was Marion Gaborik, chaopped liva???

Gaborik has been gone for 10 years, and a replacement for him has eluded the Wild ever since.

A prime Gaborik with the current Granlund would be an unstoppable combination!

 

[PAZ]

You are off-base.

So how would you describe him?

 

[Foppberg]

What was Marion Gaborik, chaopped liva???

Am I the only one who heard this in Billy Burrs voice?

 

[Smiggie Balls]

wow I thought there would be more appreciation here. he's a beast

 

[TaLoN]

wow I thought there would be more appreciation here. he's a beast

You want to talk about his being a beast, I made a thread for that just a day or so ago...

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/granlund-is-beasting.2562657/

This thread isn't talking about that though, this thread is asking if he's the Gaborik replacement the Wild have been looking for... the answer to that is still no.

He doesn't have either the speed or the shot required to do so.

If he had one or the other, the answer would be yes because of all his other tools, but he lacks one last critical tool to be THAT player.

He's best suited to be the 2nd best player on a cup team... pair him with a prime Gaborik type, and you have a line that can't be stopped no matter who is playing with them.

 

[Mestaruus]

Love me some Finnish Baby Jesus Granny.

 

[SotasicA]

He wasn't even the best forward on his team last season. Will Granlund ever be as good as prime Eric Staal was?

 

[Bounces R Way]

Annnnnnnny year now.

 

[TaLoN]

He wasn't even the best forward on his team last season. Will Granlund ever be as good as prime Eric Staal was?

Hmmm... Staal had the quietest 41 goal season I've ever seen. I still think Granlund was the better player last season despite Staal's goal total.

As for Prime Staal? Uh... obviously not, since Prime Staal Wild be the premier offensive player the Wild would be looking for, and Granlund will never be that.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Become? He's been this elite for 2+ years now, not sure why it has taken others so long to realize.

 

[57special]

He wasn't even the best forward on his team last season. Will Granlund ever be as good as prime Eric Staal was?

No, but that could be said of many forwards. Staal had a 100 point season, and is a borderline HOF'er.

And Staal scored 42, tying Gaborik's record. Don't know how you can miss that, as a Wild fan.

 

[FVM]

You want to talk about his being a beast, I made a thread for that just a day or so ago...

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/granlund-is-beasting.2562657/

This thread isn't talking about that though, this thread is asking if he's the Gaborik replacement the Wild have been looking for... the answer to that is still no.

He doesn't have either the speed or the shot required to do so.

If he had one or the other, the answer would be yes because of all his other tools, but he lacks one last critical tool to be THAT player.

He's best suited to be the 2nd best player on a cup team... pair him with a prime Gaborik type, and you have a line that can't be stopped no matter who is playing with them.

I think this is a fair assessment. Granlund is a versatile forward who is not only gifted with vision and playmaking but has made himself a very good two-way player, as well. If he had an offensive star like Gaborik, or a sniper like Laine, on his line, it would be downright unstoppable.