Derek Grant was the afterthought of July 1, 2015. The Flames had re-signed Karri Ramo and had brought Michael Frolik into the fold on one of the bigger contracts of the day; why spend too much time thinking about a guy who looked to be a 25-year-old AHL lifer? He'd be great depth for Stockton, but probably not much else.
Flash forward throughout the season, and Grant seems to have taken another step. Depth for Stockton? Try arguably one of the better players in the entire AHL, and maybe even someone who might be a reliable depth NHL player one day.