Lindholm traded to the Canucks and what could come next

 

Lindholm traded to the Canucks and what could come next

Number one trade piece off the board as Elias Lindholm gets traded to the NHL leading Vancouver Canucks

By Ryan Mosher

Elias Lindholm was traded from the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, a first-round pick and conditional fourth-round pick in the upcoming 2024 draft, along with prospects Joni Jurmo and Hunter Brzustewicz.

The Canucks received a two-way forward who has a track record for putting up points, as he averaged 0.85 points/game in a Flames uniform. Lindholm also scored almost 30 goals for every 82 games he played with Calgary.

The Boden, Sweden native will slot in alongside Hart trophy hopeful and fellow Swede Elias Pettersson, and Ilya Mikheyev to form one of the NHL’s most formidable lines on both ends of the ice.

This deal will most likely be a rental for the Canucks. Lindholm is on the last year of his contract and Vancouver has little cap space available next season, especially when you consider that they still need to re-sign Pettersson, who will most likely demand as much as $12-13 million dollars per year.

There is a small chance the Canucks can retain Lindholm, but it will require them to shed significant salary currently allocated to next season’s cap. They could start with Conor Garland, whose cap hit will be $4.95 million until the end of the 2025-2026 season.

Garland is on-pace for a 40-point season, which is what you look for from a third line forward. However, it is hard to justify paying close to $5 million to a third liner who is not dependable in the defensive zone.  

Next, the Canucks should look to acquire a right-handed defenseman to shore up their blueline. The two most likely options are to make another trade with the Flames for Chris Tanev or look east to the free-falling Philadelphia Flyers for Sean Walker.

Chris Tanev is the best “fit” for the Canucks, as he brings the physicality that will be necessary for the impending Stanely Cup run. Tanev is also an effective penalty killer who will improve Vancouver’s mid-pack penalty kill, which currently sits at 80%.

Realistically it will be more difficult for the Canucks to trade for Sean Walker because the Flyers are currently sitting in a playoff spot, although they have lost five consecutive games. Walker’s cap hit is only $2.65 million, compared to Tanev’s $4.5 million, so Walker’s contract would fit better with Vancouver’s cap situation. Walker also kills penalties for the Flyers who hold the league’s second-best penalty kill percentage at 85.9%.

Vancouver is in a great position, leading the league with less than half of the season remaining. Historically a team in their position would make another aggressive move to go all-in for the Stanley Cup, but with their young core, the Canucks may not want to compromise their future by giving away more prospects to add a veteran presence that may only be there for a year.  It will be interesting to see which direction the Canucks take between now and the March 8 trade deadline.