For the second deadline season in a row, the Vancouver Canucks have set the market.
Last year, it happened with Vancouver’s move to trade captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders while the rest of the market was still assessing their options and stockpiling their picks and cap space maneuvering for deadline help.
But this time, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin has done so as a buyer, as the Canucks officially pulled the trigger on a trade to bring top-six center Elias Lindholm to Vancouver on Wednesday evening.
Lindholm, who had been with the Flames for the last six seasons prior to his trade to Vancouver, was considered by many to be the top talent available in this year’s trade market, and received a haul that certainly fit that bill.
Dec 9, 2023; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm (28) skates during the warmup period against the New Jersey Devils at Scotiabank Saddledome. (Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports)
Lindholm, meanwhile, gets a fresh start for a West-best Canucks team in the midst of a down year from a scoring standpoint, with nine goals and 32 points through 49 games this season.
The 29-year-old put up 22 goals and 64 points in 80 games last year, and recorded a career-high 42 goals and 82 points in 82 games for the Flames in 2021-22.
That 2021-22 campaign, which came with career-high numbers for just about every player on the Flames, also saw the left-shooting Lindholm finish second to only the Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron in the voting for the Selke Trophy.
Prior to his trade to Vancouver, Lindholm had been linked to the Bruins, as well as the Rangers and Avalanche among others, though many insiders questioned how many teams would make the financials of a potential deal work given the cap space issues many are going through this season.
It’s also worth noting that the Flames did not retain any of Lindholm’s $4.85 million cap hit in the trade.
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – JANUARY 08: Elias Lindholm #28 of the Calgary Flames skates with the puck against the Chicago Blackhawks at United Center on January 08, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
Given the price they paid to bring Lindholm in, it’s fair to assume that the Canucks will explore the possibility of keeping Lindholm in town beyond this season. That would deliver a significant blow to the 2024 free agent class, particularly to the Bruins if they were to decide a top-six center is still a need moving forward.
But the Canucks already have their share of pending free agents. Star center Elias Pettersson is in the final year of his contract and will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Same for defenseman Filip Hronek. The Canucks also have three notable pending unrestricted free agents on the backend between Ian Cole ($3 million), Nikita Zadorov ($3.75 million), and Tyler Myers ($6 million).
The Canucks have over $36 million in projected cap space, which will certainly help, but they also have a potential big-money extension around the corner for winger Brock Boeser (2025), and the buyout penalty on Oliver Ekman-Larsson will jump to over $2 million next season and over $4 million the year after that.
It could get real tight in a hurry.
Jan 25, 2024; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm (28) screens in front of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Daniil Tarasov (40) during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. (Sergei Belski/USA TODAY Sports)
Of course, that’s a problem for the summer. And that’s assuming that the Bruins are still interested in Lindholm.
Many have made a sort of natural connecting of the dots when it comes to Lindholm and the Bruins, and rightfully so. Lindholm aligns with the Bruins’ need for a Bergeron-esque presence in their lineup as a center who can contribute offensively, defensively, and win a key faceoff when the situation calls for it (Lindholm’s in the midst of his second straight season of over 55 percent at the dot). But Lindholm may not be the only option for the Bruins, especially if the Sharks continue their down-to-the-foundation rebuild and trade Tomas Hertl.
In the now, however, the Bruins will have to shift, which shouldn’t be a massive issue for the club, as they still have some noticeable areas for potential improvement, namely on the left side of their defense and on the wings.
The NHL trade deadline is set for Mar. 8.
