With the Vancouver Canucks’ staff now in off-season mode, their group has several mysteries to solve before July 1. A big question that remains unsolved is what they will do with pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) Elias Lindholm. He had a slow start with Vancouver and nearly got traded at the deadline to the Boston Bruins, but once the Canucks decided to keep him, he found a role on the team and was incredibly effective. They should re-sign Lindholm and there are three big reasons why.
Canucks Gave Up a Lot To Acquire Him
The Canucks acquired Lindholm as the first move of trade deadline season on Jan. 31 where the club sent five assets to division rival Calgary Flames for Lindholm. The Flames received goal-scorer Andrei Kuzmenko who had success once he entered the locker room, and prospects Joni Jurmo and Hunter Brzustewicz who general manager Craig Conroy signed to entry-level contracts shortly after acquiring them. Along with two draft picks, one of which will be 28th overall in the draft this June and a fourth-round pick in this draft.
With the Canucks giving up all of those assets and especially all of that prospect/draft capital, they can’t just let Lindholm walk after one decent playoff run, they need more out of this trade. If they let Lindholm go after all they gave up to get him, it will be a huge mistake, especially if Kuzmenko, Brzustewicz, and Jurmo turn out to be major contributors in Calgary.
Lindholm Found a Role in the Playoffs
During the final stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs, Lindholm found his role on the Canucks’ second line as the center they acquired him to be. He began clicking with his new linemates Conor Garland and Dakota Joshua. With these new linemates, he began contributing more on the offensive side of the ice instead of only the defensive side. He recorded 12 points in 27 games in the regular season with the Canucks which was not great on paper. But in the playoffs, he found his offensive touch by scoring 10 points in 13 playoff games including seven points in seven games against the Edmonton Oilers. He even scored an overtime goal against the Nashville Predators in Game 4, helping Vancouver take a 3-1 lead, which was a big boost for the team to help the Canucks win the series in six games.
He finally found a role on the team that he could excel in, and not just on the defensive side of the ice, but also on the offensive side. Lindholm became the center that Vancouver wanted him to be once they traded for him but it just took some time. Having him and Elias Pettersson as their one-two punch down the middle for years to come will be deadly for Vancouver and a matchup nightmare for the rest of the Pacific Division.
Canucks Can’t Repeat the Same Mistake Again
Let’s flashback to the year 2020. Although most people would like to forget that year ever existed, Canucks fans want to forget that year for a completely different reason. After having an incredible run in the Western Conference playoff bubble, the Canucks were faced with several different decisions to make. The most important being what they would do with their pending UFAs. They had one UFA in Tyler Toffoli that they had acquired from the Los Angeles Kings at the trade deadline for several different assets including a first-round pick. Sound familiar? Toffoli turned into the Canucks’ top-line winger and scored four points in seven games in their miraculous run to Game 7 of the second round. Wow, this is sounding way too familiar. Once the season concluded, former general manager Jim Benning decided not to re-sign Toffoli because he “ran out of time” to sign him.
Related: Canucks Have to Avoid Making Same Mistakes as 2020 Offseason
Toffoli then signed in Montreal during the next season and helped lead the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup Final and scored 14 points in 22 playoff games, while the Canucks were unable to reach the playoffs during the Canadian Division season. If the Canucks do not re-sign Lindholm this off-season, they run the risk of having this same catastrophe happen to them again.
Lindholm had his ups and downs in Vancouver, but as the season progressed into the playoffs he became a force. Bringing the center back would be a huge win for the Canucks and should help them in this new Stanley Cup window that they have created.
