Elias Lindholm may be on the move before the trade deadline this Friday. Yes, you read that correctly. The 29-year-old was traded by the Calgary Flames just over a month ago to the Vancouver Canucks. The Canucks gave up a big package to get him, sending Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Joni Jurmo and Hunter Brzustewicz, a 2024 first-round selection, and a conditional 2024 fourth-round selection.
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With the Canucks sitting near the top of the league standings all season, it was presumed that picking up Lindholm may be the final move they made as they look to contend for the Stanley Cup. That may have been their plan as well, but it seems that, at the very least, they are considering making a change.
The Canucks have struggled as a team since acquiring Lindholm. He can’t be faulted for the entire team’s struggles, but he hasn’t been very good himself. Through 14 games, he has just four goals and six points. It’s been a disappointing start for a player they were hoping would be somewhat of a gamebreaker. Based on a recent report, his time in Vancouver could be very short-lived.
Lindholm May Be Boston Bound
The Twitter world was sent into a frenzy today when TSN’s Chris Johnston reported that the Canucks have had discussions with the Bruins in regards to sending Lindholm their way. According to Johnston, the Canucks are interested in acquiring Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jake Guentzel, and moving Lindholm would provide them with the cap space to do so.
While the Canucks may be able to land a prospect and pick for Lindholm, it’s hard to say that the trade they made to acquire Lindholm was anything but a disaster at this point. There is still the opportunity he remains and is able to up his production late in the season and into the playoffs, but so far, this deal hasn’t gone to plan.
Flames fans will be saying, “I told you so,” as many were, quite frankly, shocked at the return Lindholm was able to garner. Not only had he struggled offensively this season with 32 points in 49 games before the trade, but he often appeared to be disinterested. The 2022-23 season wasn’t much different, one in which he had a subpar 64 points.
It’s appearing more and more by the day that Lindholm was the beneficiary of playing on a line with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk. He had several very impressive seasons alongside the two and hasn’t been nearly the same player since they departed. The Canucks are quickly coming to that realization and would almost certainly take a do-over on the trade if the opportunity presented itself.
Conroy Moved Lindholm at the Right Time
What is also becoming clearer by the day is that Flames general manager Craig Conroy traded Lindholm at the right time. Many times, teams choose to wait days before the trade deadline to make moves. Conroy did so much earlier and is reaping the rewards.
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Several trades in recent days suggest that the market has fallen immensely. Had the Flames waited until this time to move Lindholm, they likely would have been forced to settle for a return far less significant. The ultimate proof of this may come if the Canucks do move Lindholm, as the package they receive from him could wind up being far less than what they gave up in the first place. At the end of the day, this move appears to be great asset management from the Flames and the polar opposite from the Canucks brass. To their credit, however, not many teams like to admit failure, particularly this early on. They deserve some recognition for admitting their fault and doing what they can to fix it before the deadline passes.