Born in Oulu, Finland, Granlund played minor hockey in his hometown and, like his older brother Mikael Granlund, drew interest from Finnish Elite League team HIFK.

Selected by the Calgary Flames in the second round (No. 45) of the 2011 NHL Draft, Granlund would continue his prep work at HIFK. Two seasons, 97 games and 64 points later, the Flames considered him ready to join Abbotsford, their top affiliate in the American Hockey League, to start the 2013-14 season.

Adjusting to the North American game, the smaller ice surface and increased body contact proved a challenge. Granlund played seven games for the Flames that season and 52 for Abbotsford. Those seven games with Calgary included his NHL debut Feb. 27, 2014 against the Los Angeles Kings and his first NHL goal March 5, 2014 against the Ottawa Senators.

He played 48 games with Calgary in 2014-15 and 31 in 2015-16, and the center position with the Flames began to get crowded.

The Flames quickly found a solution: On Feb. 22, 2016, they traded Granlund to the Vancouver Canucks. He played the final 16 games of the season with Vancouver, scoring two goals and three points.

Granlund signed a one-year contract with the Canucks on June 22, 2018 but was not tendered a qualifying offer the next offseason. He agreed to a one-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers on July 1, 2019.

With Finland, Granlund played in the 2012 and 2013 World Junior Championship and helped Finland finish third at the Under-18 World Championship.