Well in his second NHL season he scored 22 goals and had 38 points in just 61 games. I think Granlund projects to match those numbers over 82 games, Higgins did it in 61. I like Granlund but that doesn't mean you need to diminish Higgins.
Edit: Just to point out Higgins scored 23 goals in his first season, and last season was Granlund's second season. He played 47 games in 2015/2016, you can't not count that.