[Beatle17]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Granlund is a good player, but how many times have you seen a team with a player like Dallas' version of Niklas Hagman (give or take what Granlund is projecting to be at the top end) win the cup with that type of player in a second line center role?

2013, Toews + Bolland 3rd line center
2012, Kopitar + Richards
2011, Bergeron + Krejic
2010, Toews + Ladd/Bolland - Winger and 3rd line center
2009, Crosby + Malkin/Staal
2008, Datsyuk + Franzen - Winger
2007, McDonald + Getzlaf
2006, Staal + Brind'Amour
2004, Lecavalier + Richards

Unless Granlund magically develops into a player close to Monahan's calibre (not impossible, just very unlikely), then he won't be quite good enough if he's going to be a center and we want to win.

I'm not saying that he's bad, it's just that if your team has him too high on the depth chart, that likely means your team just doesn't have enough talent. If you don't have enough talent and depth, you don't win. Granlund could surprise and become an awesome #2 center on par with a guy like David Krejic. It could happen, but you don't usually see TJ Brodie type jumps in the level of their play, and that's what it would take.

Grandlund is more of a center, and a better one than those bolded above in your original post.