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Preview/Lines #54: Granlund Named Alternate Captain of Finland

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Credit: Dean Tait/Sport Shots

We know alternate captain Mikael Granlund is a leader on the San Jose Sharks.



Today, he was given the same title for Team Finland, for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

Granlund will join Sebastian Aho and Mikko Rantanen of the Carolina Hurricanes as alternate captains. Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers is the captain.

“It’s an honor to be a part of the leadership,” Granlund said on Thursday. “I’m excited.”

“Doesn’t shock me or surprise me that he’s wearing a letter for that team. He deserves it,” San Jose Sharks head coach Ryan Warsofsky said.

No doubt, the veteran will bring to Finland what he brings to San Jose.

“He came in, in terrific shape to play big minutes, heavy minutes against team’s top lines. And then on top of that, when he doesn’t have his A-game, his B and C-games still impact the hockey game,” Warsofsky said. “That’s what we’re working with, with our younger players, you’re not going to feel great for 82 games, you have to impact the game in different ways.”

When your best players are doing it — competing for 50-50 pucks, blocking shots, getting on the inside every night — that drags everybody into the fight.

“If you look at all the good teams in the league, it’s usually the best players that are doing it, right?” Warsofsky said. “It’s an important part of a winning culture, you need your top players to do it. It becomes contagious with the younger guys.”

For a team full of youngsters like Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith and company, Granlund is essential.

“He’s really good at communicating with the younger players,” Warsofsky said. “He’s a leader through and through. The way he competes, practice, games, gym, rehab, take care of his body, the list goes on.”

San Jose Sharks (15-32-6)

Yaroslav Askarov will start.

Alex Wennberg is out with a day-to-day upper-body injury, Carl Grundstrom will draw in.

Marc-Edouard Vlasic will also come in for Jack Thompson.

Lines could look like this:

Zetterlund-Granlund-Smith
Eklund-Celebrini-Toffoli
Kovalenko-Kunin-Goodrow
Grundstrom-White-Duehr

Walman-Ceci
Ferraro-Liljegren
Vlasic-Thrun

Seattle Kraken (22-27-3)

Joey Daccord will start.

Where To Watch

Puck drop between the San Jose Sharks and Seattle Kraken is 7:30 PM PT at Climate Pledge Arena. Watch it live on ESPN. Listen to it on the Sharks Audio Network.

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Pescadito

Go Sharks!!

Last edited 13 days ago by Pescadito

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