Brewin Flames Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Vancouver trades for Calgary All-Star center Elias Lindholm Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporterJan 31, 2024, 10:31 PM ET The Calgary Flames had one lone All-Star Game representative at the start of Wednesday in Elias Lindholm. By the end of the day, they had none after trading him to the Vancouver Canucks. Lindholm's future with the Flames had been in question as he was slated to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. It's why Lindholm, who has nine goals and 32 points in 49 games this season, was considered one of the most sought-after players ahead of the NHL trade deadline on March 8. That's also the reason the Canucks parted ways with forward Andrei Kuzmenko, a pair of prospect defensemen in Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, and a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick to bring Lindholm to Vancouver. Getting Lindholm accomplishes several things for the Canucks. He gives them another top-six center who is capable of creating either for himself or for his teammates, in addition to what they already have with J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson. He's also a legitimate scoring threat. The 29-year-old Lindholm has reached the 20-goal mark four times in his career while surpassing the 40-assist plateau on three separate occasions. In addition, Lindholm provides the Canucks with a reliable two-way center who can be used in several defensive situations -- such as their penalty kill, which entered Wednesday ranked 15th. Lindholm, who led all Flames forwards in short-handed ice time, was anchoring a penalty kill that was fourth in the NHL with an 84.4% success rate. On the day the Canucks announced they gave general manager Patrik Allvin a contract extension, the franchise watched him execute the latest move in what has become a transformation over the past 12 months. It was this time a year ago when the Canucks were left to answer questions about their future. They had just moved on from Bruce Boudreau, who after winning 32 of his first 57 games in charge, was fired after an 18-25-3 start, which led to them falling out of playoff contention by December. Allvin hired former Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet, who won 20 of his 36 games in charge last season. He then traded captain Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders and received a first-round pick as part of that deal, only to send that pick to the Detroit Red Wings in a move that landed the Canucks defenseman Filip Hronek. From there, Allvin used the following offseason and part of the regular season to revamp a defense led by captain Quinn Hughes that has become one of the stronger units in the NHL. That included a deal earlier this season between the Flames and the Canucks that brought Nikita Zadorov to Vancouver. Elias Lindholm has racked up nine goals and 32 points in 49 games this season. The result of that work saw the Canucks catapult to a 12-3-1 start and remain in the discussion as one of the NHL's best teams while also sending five players plus Tocchet to the NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. Now that figure rises to six All-Stars thanks to Lindholm while also raising questions about how far the Canucks can go this season and if the year ends with them reaching the Stanley Cup Final after missing the playoffs for four straight seasons. Already faced with the prospect of finding a new contract for Pettersson, the Canucks and Allvin will do the same with Lindholm. Pettersson is a pending restricted free agent, which means the Canucks will have team control until he becomes a free agent in 2026. Lindholm, however, could walk after this season. Moving on from Lindholm is expected to be the first in what could be a series of moves for a Flames team that's stuck between trying to challenge for a playoff spot and facing the reality the franchise could be in store for major changes. Lindholm was one of several pending UFAs on the Flames' roster, which led to questions about what direction the franchise would take. Saddled with an inability to consistently find offense coupled with a crowded landscape, the Flames came into Wednesday five points out of the final Western Conference wild-card spot. His departure also raises questions about if the Flames are about to trigger a potential exodus ahead of the trade deadline. They have seven players who are pending UFAs, with the bulk of them coming on defense as five of the seven blueliners under contract are in the final year of their deal. It's a group that includes Noah Hanifin and Christopher Tanev, among others. The haul the Flames received from the Canucks could be the sort of bounty to help them now and in the future. It's possible that leaving the Canucks will help Kuzmenko find the form that made him one of the Canucks' best players last season. The unrestricted free agent signed with Vancouver after starring in the KHL with SKA St. Petersburg. Kuzmenko broke through to score 39 goals and rack up 74 points before the Canucks signed him to a two-year contract worth $5.5 million annually only to see the forward have just eight goals and 21 points in 43 games. He was also a healthy scratch on several occasions. The Flames now have two first-round picks in this year's draft while having eight picks in total. They also have two more defensemen who could help reshape their roster in the years to come. Brzustewicz was a third-round pick in 2023 and is on pace to score 98 points with the Kitchener Rangers in the OHL. He has six goals and 69 points through 47 games after recording six goals and 57 points last season. Jurmo, who was a third-round pick in 2020, is playing in the Liiga, the top division in Finland, where he has one goal and four points in 35 games between Ilves and KooKoo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 Flames Make Deal With Canucks Team acquires Kuzmenko, first-round pick, conditional fourth-round pick, prospects for Lindholm ByPress Release January 31, 2024 The Calgary Flames announced today that they have acquired forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defencemen Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, Vancouver’s first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Elias Lindholm. Kuzmenko, a native of Yakutsk, Russia, has eight goals and 13 assists for a total of 21 points this season with the Canucks. He has spent the last two seasons with Vancouver having signed as a free agent on July 13, 2022. Last season, the left-winger posted 74 points from 39 goals and 35 assists in 81 games. ANDREI KUZMENKO – LEFT WING BORN: Yakutsk, RUS DATE: February 4, 1996 HEIGHT: 5’11” WEIGHT: 194 lbs. SHOOTS: Right DRAFTED: Undrafted ACQUIRED: Signed as a free agent by Vancouver on July 13, 2022 Brzustewicz, a right-shot defenseman from Washington, Michigan, has skated in 47 games with the Kitchener Rangers of the OHL this season. The 19-year-old has eight goals and 61 assists for 69 points, good for third overall amongst all OHL skaters. Brzustewicz was a third round (75th overall) draft pick by the Canucks in 2023. HUNTER BRZUSTEWICZ – DEFENCE BORN: Washington, MI DATE: November 29, 2004 HEIGHT: 6’0” WEIGHT: 190 lbs. SHOOTS: Right DRAFTED: VAN – 3rd Round (75th overall) in the 2023 NHL Draft Joni Jurmo, a 21-year-old native of Espoo, Finland was drafted in the third round (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft by the Canucks. He has skated in 35 games for Ilves and KooKoo of SM-Liiga and has notched one goal and three assists for four points. The 6’5” rearguard was named to the roster of Team Finland at the 2022 IIHF World Juniors, appearing in two games. JONI JURMO – DEFENCE BORN: Espoo, FIN DATE: April 19, 2004 HEIGHT: 6’4” WEIGHT: 210 lbs. SHOOTS: Left DRAFTED: VAN – 3rd Round (82nd overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flames Make Deal With Canucks Team acquires Kuzmenko, first-round pick, conditional fourth-round pick, prospects for Lindholm
yave1964 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 Wow a lot to unpack. CALGARY added a decent but ridiculously soft top six scorer, kinda reminds me of Nyquist, 30 goals, 60 points, kind of a very lite version of Gaudreau. The prospects are meh, but a first is good, a fourth just another lottery ball. I know Boston and others wanted Lindholm, getting what they got has to be a win for the Flames. VANCOUVER gave up a winger who does not play defense and a first for a fantastic center. Lindholm makes the top six better the second power play look better than some teams first. I believe both teams did great but Vancouver simply won this deal. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegx.ca Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 1 hour ago, yave1964 said: Wow a lot to unpack. CALGARY added a decent but ridiculously soft top six scorer, kinda reminds me of Nyquist, 30 goals, 60 points, kind of a very lite version of Gaudreau. The prospects are meh, but a first is good, a fourth just another lottery ball. I know Boston and others wanted Lindholm, getting what they got has to be a win for the Flames. VANCOUVER gave up a winger who does not play defense and a first for a fantastic center. Lindholm makes the top six better the second power play look better than some teams first. I believe both teams did great but Vancouver simply won this deal. Yeah Calgary looks like they got alot but reality is any team would rather have Lindholm...sad day for Calgary as more and more players aren't choosing to stay...fact is that Calgary should be where LA and Vancity are right now if Johnny Hockey didn't choose to leave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewin Flames Posted February 1 Author Share Posted February 1 2 hours ago, yave1964 said: I believe both teams did great but Vancouver simply won this deal. I may lean to differ.... Kuzmenk had a solid season last year, but is somehow in tocchet's doghouse, Hunter B is having a monster year in the OHL is the flames defense prospect pool is suspect. Jurmo is 6'4 and has wheels, plues another first round pick. And if i am not mistaken, isn't lindholm a UFA at the end of the year, might not even stay in nuckland. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JR Ewing Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 I'm an Oilers fan, but I also never had any hate for the Flames, and I pull for their fans, because I understand the pain of cheering for a team in a small market that isn't a sexy destination or tax haven for the players. The league is full of a$$ hats that are happy to pull a Canadian jersey over their head for international events but would rather die than play in Canada; Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg in particular. I kinda get it with Edmonton and Winnipeg, and Edmonton was home for many years, but Calgary's a great city and has a lot to offer the players. Ah well... It's flat-out more difficult to make these teams into consistent winners. Anyway... I think the Flames did well here, but not really because of Kuzmenko, whom I consider to be the sweetener. He has skill, but as @yave1964 said, he's incredibly soft and will provide high calorie/low nutrition scoring numbers for Calgary. He's not exactly the most dedicated player away from the puck. Picks aside, the piece I really like is Hunter Brzustewicz, an emerging talent who could be a foundational piece, and who is having an exceptional draft +1. Lindholm was never going to stay, will soon be entering the decline phase of his career, and is an unrestricted free agent after this year. I like this deal for the Flames. Vancouver did bring in a really good player who will provide them classical Swedish two-way hockey. My God, that country spits out guys who play the right way; who don't cheat themselves or the team when they're on the ice. He's exactly what Vancouver needs in a year where the results have greatly exceeded what should be expected. This is a team gives up more scoring chances than they create, and is in the bottom 1/3 of the league in dangerous chances as well, but literally everything is going in the net and Demko looks like he could save a BB fired from a cannon on most nights. They're PDO'ing the league really hard, but it won't continue forever. Lindholm will give them a reliable piece that can help steady the ship in that way. The Flames cut the cord yesterday, and set sail in search of a brand new day. Some will say they should have done it a long time ago, but I'm not one of them. That team, built around Tkachuk and Gaudreau, was dangerous and headed in the right direction. Things beyond management's control conspired against them, and things have turned so quickly. All that's left is to stand on the dock, remember what was good, and feel the bitter truth of today. I feel for them. It’s so very hard to build something good, almost impossible to build something great, and nothing lasts forever. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yave1964 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 5 hours ago, Brewin Flames said: I may lean to differ.... Kuzmenk had a solid season last year, but is somehow in tocchet's doghouse, Hunter B is having a monster year in the OHL is the flames defense prospect pool is suspect. Jurmo is 6'4 and has wheels, plues another first round pick. And if i am not mistaken, isn't lindholm a UFA at the end of the year, might not even stay in nuckland. I don't know man, I am simply not a fan of either prospect, kuzmenko can score and has term which is good and adding a first. Lindholm is an UFA and Vancouver will likely not be able to afford him. If the Canucks bomb and lose in the first round and lose Lindholm as a free agent, Calgary wins. If Vancouver has a deep or very deep run, western finals or scf the Canucks win. And while unlikely they may be able to sign Lindholm. So a lot up in the air. All things being equal I would much rather have Lindholm. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jammer2 Posted February 1 Share Posted February 1 This deal seems prudent from both sides. From a Vancouver perspective, they are tied for 1st overall with Boston at 71 pts. One of THE hardest decisions a GM has to make is when is the time to go all in. When your team is in 1st, backed by supremely efficient goaltending, I can't blame them for adding the cherry on top here. This fan base is starving for a Cup, having never won. Kuzmenko may indeed be addition by subtraction, these soft types get eaten alive in the playoffs where you have to fight for every inch of ice. The 1st rd pick may very well be 31st or 32nd overall....not a huge loss, all things considered. The kid from the O looks like the biggest loss here...but gotta give to get, huh? The Flames did well, considering they were under the same gun barrel as Gaudreau and Tkachuk....this outcome should be better...can it be worse? Doubt it...lol. Smart of Vancouver to load up for this run from where I sit, even if it means losing Lindholm as a UFA next year. Not really a time to sit back and hope you have the horses to win, especially considering other GMs in the West WILL be loading up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Math Posted February 2 Share Posted February 2 I think it's always good to digest a trade before and try to see the whole picture. First, I thought that the Canucks lost their minds, but it's really not that silly overall. Vancouver had a hole on the 2C position and on the PP as weel, as they don't seem willing to play Pettersson as a full natural center. Kuzmenko is a 0.0098-dimensional and overrated player that could fourish in another environment. I understand this in a salary dump persepctive, as the Kuzmenko had one more year on his contract. The fact that Lindholm is not willing to re-sign immediately, making him a pure rental is something that bugs me a bit and the price to get him is still a bit too much IMO. But that's the risk you have to take if you think you can go on a run and not miss the train. Now, let the dominos fall ! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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