After spending 4 years in Finland developing his skills, the Nordiques still owned his negotiating rights but Gronman was not offered a professional contract.

Soon after, the Quebec franchise moved to Colorado, becoming the Avalanche; Gronman's NHL negotiating rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks by the Colorado Avalanche on July 10, 1996, in exchange for the Chicago Blackhawks' second-round pick in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft.

A little more than a year later on October 27, 1997, the Blackhawks traded Gronman to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for veteran forward Greg Johnson.

On October 18, 1998, while playing in a game for Pittsburgh's farm team, the Kansas City Blades of the IHL, Gronman suffered a significant knee injury causing him to miss the majority of the 1998-1999 IHL season.

Soon after Gronman's contract expired, and with no NHL or minor league interest his professional North American career was over.