Solve for Granlund

I can appreciate Granlund trying to create offense for others, but right there, in that situation you need to shoot the puck. I don't care if it goes in or not. The sheer fact that he stood there like a deer in headlights is completely inexcusable. It's that kind of indecision that can drive a fanbase insane. Between that, and some of the just plain poor decisions you made during the game (See: 2 turnovers on a PP), it's a pretty tough pill to swallow.

With just the slightest gains in goals/60 at 5v5 close and faceoffs wins in all situations over last year, it's a real struggle to understand just what it is you're contributing to the team offensively at this point. Neither of those have been particularly impressive throughout your career either. Some of the above season total numbers are certainly smaller because they represent 66% less games than the previous seasons, but those per-60 numbers are killing me.

Yet coach Yeo continues to put him out there is gamebreaker situations like 3 on 3 OT or on a crucial power play.

Your small frame isn't doing you many favors either. I do appreciate the fact that you're not afraid to play along the wall, especially with the concussion history and all. But you're often knocked off the puck with a stiff breeze. Overall, the decision making he has displayed on either end of the ice has me wondering, are we putting too much pressure on him?

I've personally wrestled with the idea between trading Granlund or benching him for a stretch to see if he can't gain a little insight by watching and applying some of what he sees in practice or game situations. My favorite idea however, and I can't claim this as my own original thought, is pushing Granlund out to the wing. Give him less responsibility and a higher focus on scoring goals rather than always looking to be the setup guy. I do question whether or not he'd be able to shake some of these poor habits, regardless of where you place him on the ice. Really, at this point though, what have you got to lose?

With the reality of Granlund's situation with the team right now, we are likely going to see this kid around for a while. I believe it's worthwhile to see if we can't fix the situation in-house before we even think about moving the kid. With a little more freedom on the ice, who knows! Maybe that creative spark he had shown growing up that got us all excited in the first place comes back around. The situation as it is right now though, something needs to change to get this kid (and quite frankly, most of the team) back on track.

Thanks to War-on-ice for the stats.