The Vancouver Canucks have made another big trade during All-Star Break. Last year on Jan. 30, they sent Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders. A year and a day after that trade, they are busy again making waves in the hockey world. They have acquired Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames for Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick. Kuzmenko had to approve the trade since the Flames were one of the teams on his no-trade list. According to his agent, Dan Milstein, they had been working with the Flames since Sunday (Jan. 28) and Kuzmenko has already talked to general manager Craig Conroy and head coach Ryan Huska about joining the team.
General manager Patrik Allvin paid a huge price to get Lindholm to Vancouver, especially if he’s going to be just a rental. Lindholm is in the final year of his contract worth $4.85 million and will be an unrestricted free agent in the offseason. If they cannot get him signed to an extension, they will have lost a top defensive prospect, a first-round pick and a goalscorer for nothing. But if they sign him, then the price was probably right for what Lindholm brings to the roster.
Canucks Get the Second Line Center They Were Looking For
The Canucks were reportedly looking for a top-six center and now they have one in Lindholm. While he’s had an underwhelming season so far with only nine goals and 32 points, he’s still one of the top two-way pivots in the NHL. He can play in all situations, win faceoffs (53.3 percent career average), and with the right linemates, score goals. He is only a season removed from 42 goals and 82 points playing with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, and he could have similar elite talent to play with in Vancouver with the likes of Elias Pettersson, JT Miller and Brock Boeser.
When the Canucks traded Horvat to the Islanders, they lost an elite matchup center that could win key faceoffs in the defensive zone and on the power play. Now with Lindholm, who is a right-hand shot, they can throw out both Miller and Lindholm and have a center on their strong side no matter what faceoff dot the draw is in. This is similar to when the Canucks had Henrik Sedin and Ryan Kesler in the 2010s, which gives head coach Rick Tocchet a huge advantage and a lot more versatility with his centers.
All in all, the Canucks now have three tremendous top-six centers that can move from center to wing with ease, win faceoffs and score goals. The roster just got a huge upgrade, even though Lindholm is not having his best season.
Flames Start Selling By Trading Lindholm
Lindholm was one of the biggest trade pieces the Flames had, and with the team on the outside looking in on the playoffs, Conroy has decided to start selling over a month before the trade deadline. He got a pretty good haul for the Swedish pivot as he added a top prospect in Brzustewicz who is having a banner season in the Ontario Hockey League with eight goals and 69 points playing for the Kitchener Rangers, a first-round pick in a draft filled with high-end defencemen and a goalscorer in Kuzmenko that is signed for one more season at $5.5 million average annual value (AAV).
Related: Canucks News & Rumors: Kuzmenko, Lindholm, Myers & More
Kuzmenko only has eight goals and 21 points this season after scoring 39 goals and 74 points in his rookie year, but he has the skill and creativity to bounce back to his previous form. Maybe he can be reignited in new surroundings with a new coaching staff. He was often in Tocchet’s dog house because of defensive miscues and an overall lack of work ethic on the forecheck and backcheck. It remains to be seen if Huska will tolerate that and give him more of a leash offensively.
Overall, Conroy got a good package for Lindholm and unfortunately for Flames fans, he has signaled that the team will be selling heading up to the trade deadline. The Flames are currently five points out of a wild card spot and are slowly losing hope that the playoffs are in their future. As for the Canucks, they are seemingly going all-in for the Stanley Cup this season. They have surprised everyone in 2023-24, and this trade is just the latest salvo as they continue to be the toast of the league tied for first with the Boston Bruins with 71 points.
