Grant, a forward taken by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round (No. 119) of the 2008 NHL Draft, needed four years with five teams to score his first NHL goal. He finally got one that counted on Oct. 20, 2017, when he scored the Anaheim Ducks' first power-play goal of the season; twice earlier in his career, he had put the puck in the net only to have the goal overturned.

Grant turned pro after two seasons at Michigan State University, signing with the Senators on March 10, 2011. He played 25 games in callups with Ottawa during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, then spent all of 2014-15 in the minors. Grant signed with the Calgary Flames in the summer of 2015 and scored 27 goals in 36 games with Stockton of the American Hockey League to earn another chance in the NHL, though he managed just one assist in 15 games with the Flames.

He signed with the Buffalo Sabres on July 2, 2016, and had three assists in 35 games before the Nashville Predators claimed him on waivers. But six games later, he was reclaimed by Buffalo and sent to Rochester of the AHL, where he scored 11 goals in 23 games.

That was enough to intrigue the Ducks, who signed him on July 1, 2017, and gave him his first full-time role after injuries to Ryan Getzlaf and Ryan Kesler left them thin at center.