5 Offseason Trades and Landing Spots for Flames Forward Elias Lindholm
If you're a general manager in need of a playmaking center with creativity, vision and a 200-foot game on the NHL level, Craig Conroy might be worth a phone call.
The newly minted Calgary general manager is overseeing what the cynical types might label an off-ice mutiny, given the number of Flames players reportedly suggesting they have no interest in remaining in southern Alberta beyond the expiration dates of their contracts.
If accurate, their exoduses would come on the heels of Johnny Gaudreau's decision to leave as a free agent for Columbus last summer, and the trade of Matthew Tkachuk to Florida that came after Tkachuk declared he'd not be signing long-term with Calgary either.
Not exactly the easiest introduction for Conroy, a veteran of more than 1,000 games as a player who took over in the team's executive suite in May after his former boss, Brad Treliving, left in April and subsequently took as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"This is the job I wanted," Conroy told the Calgary Sun. "Would it have been nice to dip your toe in? Yeah, but that's what it is. That's pro hockey, and I'm looking forward to the challenge."
Among the challenges could be getting a return on the aforementioned playmaking center, Elias Lindholm, who's among the players rumored to want out. Lindholm was picked fifth overall by Carolina at the 2013 draft and has played 10 seasons in the league, including a career-high 42-goal output in 2021-22, after which he finished second in Selke Trophy voting.
Lindholm spent five seasons with the Hurricanes before a 2018 trade that sent him and Noah Hanifin to the Flames in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland and Adam Fox.
The B/R hockey team put their draft week heads together to compose a list of possible landing spots for the 28-year-old Swede should Conroy indeed decide to move him before the six-year, $29.1 million deal signed in 2018 expires next summer.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.
Boston Bruins
1 of 5
While he might not have quite the headaches Conroy is experiencing, it's no picnic being Don Sweeney these days either.
The Boston GM was blissful as he watched a lineup that he helped build run roughshod through the NHL in 2022-23 on the way to record-setting totals in wins and points.
Then came the collapse—in the form of a first-round playoff loss to the Florida Panthers after establishing a 3-1 series lead—and the longest summer of his life.
Rather than savoring a parade and planning a banner-raising night, Sweeney is left to retool a suddenly aging roster that's uncomfortably close to the salary cap ceiling with decisions to make on a handful of imminent free agents.
He already lopped off the final two years of Taylor Hall's deal at $6 million per year when he sent the former No. 1 overall pick to Chicago before the draft.
And given the advanced ages of soon-to-be unrestricted centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí—both 37—he'd be foolish not to at least consider the idea of acquiring Lindholm, who'll be 29 in December, to lead the charge into the next era alongside fellow 20-something stalwarts David Pastrnak (27) and Charlie McAvoy (25).
Carolina Hurricanes
2 of 5
If you're a player looking to change scenery and have an immediate chance to win while doing so, you could hardly do better than Raleigh, North Carolina's Hurricanes.
Carolina was second overall in the 2022-23 standings, has a popular and respected coach in Rod Brind'Amour and just happens to be more than $20 million under the salary cap at the moment—which sets it apart from many contending teams seeking to add important players.
And, as mentioned previously, there's history.
Lindholm has flourished as a point-producer since the deal that sent him to Calgary and there were rumors leading into the trade deadline that the Hurricanes were considering bringing him back to the East Coast to provide a boost for an inconsistent offense.
A trade that brought Max Pacioretty from Vegas for that purpose didn't pan out after Pacioretty injured his Achilles tendon and played just five games. If Lindholm presses the issue and makes it known he won't stay up north, Carolina makes all kinds of sense based on its need for scoring and the ability to seamlessly fit his contract into its ledger.
Columbus Blue Jackets
3 of 5
OK, we'll concede that this one had a lot more juice before Wednesday night.
Heading into the draft, it would have been easy to understand why the Columbus Blue Jackets might be willing to part with assets to get their hands on a proven NHL producer in Lindholm, who would reunite with ex-teammate Gaudreau with a chance to replicate 2021-22, which was the best statistical season for both players.
As mentioned earlier, Lindholm had 42 goals and 82 points in 82 games for the Flames that season, while Gaudreau certainly made himself a few extra dollars—he signed a seven-year deal worth $9.75 million annually—thanks to the 40 goals and 115 points he posted in what turned out to be his final go-round in Calgary.
It didn't happen at the draft and the Blue Jackets were able to snatch center Adam Fantilli, ranked second behind Connor Bedard among draft-eligible North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, with the No. 3 pick, but adding Lindholm would still go a long way toward moving the team back into playoff contention after an ugly 31st overall finish last season.
Less likely now? Yes. But keep your eye on middle Ohio just in case.
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Minnesota Wild
4 of 5
The Minnesota Wild have, to put it mildly, some salary cap issues.
They'll continue allocating more than $14 million this season and next to the long-since-exited Zach Parise and Ryan Suter after tandem buyouts in 2021, and they have just more than $8 million to spend with decisions to make on precisely 10 would-be free agents.
So you'll forgive Bill Guerin if he's got a lot on his mind.
But that doesn't mean the long-time NHL forward-turned-GM isn't focused on making sure the Wild remain in the running for a championship. They've won more than 50 percent of their games and reached the playoffs in four straight seasons, yet it hasn't translated to a playoff series win—extending the franchise's postseason drought to eight years.
Wingers Kirill Kaprizov and Matthew Boldy are locked up contractually for the next several seasons, as is center Joel Eriksson Ek, who posted a career-high 61 points across 78 games during his sixth season as a full-time player in 2022-23.
Eriksson Ek was Minnesota's No. 1 center on the depth chart but he'd be well-suited for a No. 2 role if Guerin was to make a play for Lindholm, whose plus-69 rating over the last four seasons blends well with his fellow Swede's plus-43 number over the same period.
Given Lindholm's team-friendly $4.85 million hit for 2023-24, it's one of the most efficient deals Guerin could make given his financial constraints.
New York Islanders
5 of 5
In a lot of ways, Lindholm winding up with the New York Islanders makes a lot of sense.
Particularly because, when considering what Lindholm might command as a would-be free agent next summer, the most frequent comparisons made are with Bo Horvat.
Horvat, for those unaware, is the 28-year-old center whom the Islanders got in a pre-deadline deal with the Vancouver Canucks last winter. Within a week, New York GM Lou Lamoriello signed him to an eight-year extension worth $8.5 million per season.
Lindholm, at No. 5, was selected four picks ahead of Horvat at the 2013 draft, and they've produced comparable numbers—Horvat 208 goals, 436 points; Lindholm 203 goals, 513 points—since their arrivals as full-time players with the Flames and Canucks, respectively.
Hence, the financial numbers are similar and sensible.
And given Lamoriello's penchant for making splashy moves to ensure his teams remain in contending situations, it wouldn't be shocking to see him put the two pieces together.
Lamoriello offloaded $6 million in 2023-24 salary when he sent 33-year-old forward Josh Bailey to the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday, which left the Islanders with slightly more than $10 million worth of space beneath the cap and a handful of free agents to consider.
It'd take a shiny package worth of picks and/or players and prospects to get it done, but a legit top-sixer like Lindholm is exactly the kind of guy for whom Lamoriello has made those sorts of deals in the past. A dark horse perhaps, but it's an interesting one to consider.
Financial and contract information provided by CapFriendly.com
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