ANAHEIM, Calif. – Having the Finnish Flash as your team’s ambassador and in Finland during the opening of free agency with a top Finnish free agent on the market turned out to be a little extra icing for Mikael Granlund and the Anaheim Ducks last week.
Teemu Selanne could sell water to a fish, so the Ducks legend and continued Orange County resident made an easy sell job of his adopted home to Granlund ahead of free agency last week.
“He said only good things about organization and how good of care they take of you,” Mikael Granlund said on a media call from Finland on Monday, “and obviously about the team, how much talent there is, how it’s going in the right direction, all that stuff. That was really encouraging.”
Granlund said he’s waiting on a free dinner at Selanne’s Laguna Beach steakhouse, but the 33-year-old will have plenty of time for that after signing a three-year, $21 million contract with the Ducks last Tuesday..
In addition to Selanne’s pitch, the major components for Granlund’s decision to sign in Anaheim were the arrival of new coach Joel Quenneville and Orange County as the best place to live for his family.
Granlund said that after he knew staying with the Dallas Stars wouldn’t work out due to the salary cap, a new direction in Anaheim would suit him well.
“With the team, obviously, I think it’s going in the right direction with all the talent and the good veterans they have,” Granlund said. “Big thing for me with Coach Q coming to the team, he knows what winning takes and and we’re trying to get to that habit for winning. It’s a great place to live and from Finland, there’s straight flights to LA. There’s some other things as well, but with my family, that was the best option.”
Granlund mentioned Quenneville a few times as a reason to come to the Ducks, specifically as a sign that the franchise is ready to push forward out of the rebuild and into contention.
“I think they really took a really big step last year,” Granlund said, “and with some of the new players that are coming in and with Coach Q coming in, I really feel like it’s like, okay, now we are taking the next step. It’s not about just growing players and learning. It’s about starting to win some hockey games. So that’s really encouraging.”
Anaheim had hoped Quenneville’s hiring would help entice players to link up with the Ducks. While there hasn’t been the major movement that some would want yet, Chris Kreider mentioned him as a reason for waiving his no-trade clause and Granlund for signing.
“The way I see it, he’s won this league a few times. He knows what winning takes and how the game looks like when you’re winning,” Granlund said. “So, I really feel that’s such a big thing. And in National Hockey League, you have to know what it takes to be a good team, what it takes to actually win something. And obviously, I’m sure all the coaches want to get better and learn as well, but you don’t really need to learn that much, you actually know what it takes. So, that, for me, is really encouraging. And I’m sure that’s why a lot of a lot of players are really excited.”
Granlund said he talked to Quenneville briefly after signing, and he doesn’t have a preference of playing center or wing. Granlund just wants to keep winning.
“I told him I can play a lot of different roles,” Granlund said. “All I care about is winning and trying to do whatever I can for the team. So I don’t care where I play, what it is, but I can do a lot of things and hopefully I can try to bring something good to the table.”
Granlund has had a bit of a renaissance deep into his 13-year NHL career. The 33-year-old broke 60 points just twice in the first nine years of his career, but he has now posted back-to-back 60-point campaigns and three in the last four seasons.
Upon being traded to the tanking and rebuilding San Jose Sharks from the Pittsburgh Penguins two seasons ago, Granlund embraced a fresh start. He said there were a lot of things happening in his life and that he made changes to the way he prepares.
“I kind of got a clean slate in San Jose, and I really pulled everything (together) to be a better player, and that really paid off,” Granlund said. “I’d been playing my best hockey of my life for the last two years, and I really feel my best years are ahead of me. So that’s what excites me the most. I’ve been healthy. I’ve been playing my best hockey and you have a feeling that I can get even better. I can do more.”
“As a person, as a player, I feel like I’ve been growing so much for the last couple of years. I’m really excited about the time in Anaheim right now.”
Granlund sees more room for growth for himself and the Ducks, and he sees the path forward upward for both with this new contract.
“I really do believe the constant feeling that you want to get better, that’s the way to do things about,” Granlund said. “My game has gotten to the point where I kind of want to be, and like I said, I really feel my best years are ahead of me.”