I'm telling you guys, Granlund will be moved up to Zucker's spot. He will not be traded
Good luck to Malkin next year
The biggest problem is we don't have a GM right now...
So there is no vision where on what the team needs to look like.
Ideally Granlund gets traded before free agency, opening up options on the UFA front (ie. maybe Zucker).
I do see the situation where GM takes the easiest path, which is to let Zucker walk, and put Granlund in that slot.
One of the big reasons Malkin was able to stay healthy was because he wasn't the one digging pucks out of the mess behind the net all the time. He needs that support! Granlund clearly can't provide it, so expect Geno to be injured next year if Granlund is on his wing.