[Trade] Canucks Acquire Elias Lindholm from Calgary for Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, 2024 1st and Conditional 2024 4th

[Bob Long]

2 minutes ago, PureQuickness said:

 

Still reserving judgment about that one. Lindholm has done better than previous showings. It seems the injury had held him back.

 

the only other UFA RHC with similar production for next off season is Roslovic. 

 

Its a thin group: https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2025/points/all/center/ufa/desc/right?stats-season=2024

 

Lindy is going to get overpaid by someone for sure. 

[PureQuickness]

15 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

the only other UFA RHC with similar production for next off season is Roslovic. 

 

Its a thin group: https://www.capfriendly.com/browse/free-agents/2025/points/all/center/ufa/desc/right?stats-season=2024

 

Lindy is going to get overpaid by someone for sure. 

 

Monahan?

[Bob Long]

10 minutes ago, PureQuickness said:

 

Monahan?

 

he's a left shot 

[LillStrimma]

13 minutes ago, PureQuickness said:

 

Monahan?

At the Flames Lindy was the obvious 1st C. 
No one questioned that. 
The thing here is that Lindy play the kind of game Tocchet want him to play.

[HKSR]

4 minutes ago, Bob Long said:

 

he's a left shot 

Yeah last thing we need is ANOTHER left shot centre... we have Miller, Petey, Blueger, Suter, Aman, Raty, Sasson... ALL left shot.

[Bob Long]

Just now, HKSR said:

Yeah last thing we need is ANOTHER left shot centre... we have Miller, Petey, Blueger, Suter, Aman, Raty, Sasson... ALL left shot.

 

its one of the reasons he was targeted by JR/PA over others for sure. We were really weak on the right side face-offs. 

[Diamonds]

1 hour ago, LillStrimma said:

The thing with Lindy is that with him we have three 1st line C down the middle that we can put cheap players around.

 

So it doesn’t matter if Lindy cost a bit since we can have a few millions only beside him. 

Re-signing Lindholm basically gives us the 2008-12 Pittsburgh system when they ran Crosby, Malkin, and Staal down the middle and just plugged in whoever on the wings.

 

Lindholm is probably a similar player to Staal those years, but Miller and Petey are a slight tier below Crosby and Malkin. Hughes is better than Gonchar/Letang though and hopefully Demko will be better than Fleury who kind of shat the bed the four playoffs following their cup win.

 

We have seen that it can be a winning formula so I don't mind investing in three top centers and having them carry their lines. Hopefully we can figure out at least one solid winger to pair with each though.

[Phil_314]

5 hours ago, LillStrimma said:

The thing with Lindy is that with him we have three 1st line C down the middle that we can put cheap players around.

 

So it doesn’t matter if Lindy cost a bit since we can have a few millions only beside him. 

On paper that's what we'll have.  Seeing his struggles though, we can't be sure he'll be that guy.  Depending on the extent of his injury or whatever the cause of his decline has been, it could affect his ability to rise up to the level that would be expected him given the price tag.  Sure upgrading on Blueger would be great, but if there's a viable C like a Henrique who also becomes available but they show more in their playoff run, I'd rather we let Lindholm walk and sign that guy if Lindholm asks for $6-$7 for a 3rd line role.

Edited April 18 by Phil_314

[Alflives]

Great trade by us to dumperoo Cruise Missile for this year and next. Pretty much got Lindholm (who actually costs less on the cap) for free. Lindholm is an actual player too. Huge improvement to our club. 

[Bob Long]

1 minute ago, Alflives said:

Great trade by us to dumperoo Cruise Missile for this year and next. Pretty much got Lindholm (who actually costs less on the cap) for free. Lindholm is an actual player too. Huge improvement to our club. 

 

We can't afford the bidding war for Lindy, but that's ok, we will use the extra cap to lock up Hronek and Z.

[PureQuickness]

6 hours ago, LillStrimma said:

At the Flames Lindy was the obvious 1st C. 
No one questioned that. 
The thing here is that Lindy play the kind of game Tocchet want him to play.

 

Did Calgary even have the depth that Vancouver has? Given where the Canucks and the Flames are at this juncture - I think so. Just because Megna played top six with the Canucks under Willie Desjardins doesn't make Megna a real top six player.

[LillStrimma]

45 minutes ago, PureQuickness said:

 

Did Calgary even have the depth that Vancouver has? Given where the Canucks and the Flames are at this juncture - I think so. Just because Megna played top six with the Canucks under Willie Desjardins doesn't make Megna a real top six player.

You talked about Monahan. They played together with the Flames…

[N4ZZY]

14 hours ago, BC_Hawk said:

I think he stays. Our 3rd line is really a 2B line; essentially we have 3 #2 lines that's play time is dictated by whos hot. We lack that really elite player to drive one top line (McDavid, Mackinnon, etc).

What gives you the impression that he's going to remain here? 

 

[PureQuickness]

1 hour ago, LillStrimma said:

You talked about Monahan. They played together with the Flames…

 

What does that have to do with Monahan THIS YEAR? My point is that Monahan has outperformed Lindholm badly this year, hence making him a better center option than Lindholm.

 

But honestly, I really hope Lindholm proves me wrong and has a monster playoff/Stanley Cup run with Vancouver. I WANT him to prove me wrong - and I will eat crow when he does. I will do this because I love this Canucks team.

 

[NHL97OneTimer]

17 hours ago, BC_Hawk said:

I'd give him the dreaded 6m/6yrs. Lindholm's skillset will allow him to contribute at 36....and the 6m will be more like 4m by then. 

 

What the team really needs is for Lekkeramki to make a big jump into the NHL this year. That will allow us to resign BB and other key pieces, while only needing to free up Mik type of $$. My guess is they will also be looking to Raty to assume Blueger's spot.

Dreaded indeed.  6x6 is a bad omen for all parties.  I don't think he's worth that to be honest.  He doesn't contribute offensively much, so the question is if you can find a good defensive center who's great at faceoffs for cheaper.  Tough but I think JR and PA have to look for that.  The following year will be rough with OEL's salary cap hit.  I'm guessing they can't trade that cap hit so they really are against the wall cap-wise even after finding a way to bury Mikheyev's contract in the off-season unless they find a cheap repacement for Lindholm.

 

My 2 cents - you have to keep this D as much as possible including Myers at $3M/yr if he signs that.  Keeping Zadorov and Joshua are somewhat central to this club's near-term success and more vital than Lindholm right now.

[RU SERIOUS]

On 4/14/2024 at 7:14 AM, Alflives said:

Lots of noise that the Bruins will go after Lindholm. Likely they give him a lot more (8x8) than we will offer. 

When he's gone in the next few weeks, PA will look like a fool giving up 5 good assets for a rental that has done nothing special for us whatsoever.    Very unfortunate.

[iinatcc]

3 hours ago, RU SERIOUS said:

When he's gone in the next few weeks, PA will look like a fool giving up 5 good assets for a rental that has done nothing special for us whatsoever.    Very unfortunate.

 

Unless Canucks win the Cup 

[Alflives]

4 hours ago, RU SERIOUS said:

When he's gone in the next few weeks, PA will look like a fool giving up 5 good assets for a rental that has done nothing special for us whatsoever.    Very unfortunate.

After we have our Cup celebration parade down Georgia this June (and Lndholm has been a key player in the victory) PA will get two second round picks for Lindholm’s rights. 
Now bow to the empties for your transgression. 

[NHL97OneTimer]

19 hours ago, RU SERIOUS said:

When he's gone in the next few weeks, PA will look like a fool giving up 5 good assets for a rental that has done nothing special for us whatsoever.    Very unfortunate.

5 good assets......it really depends what those assets were going to get him otherwise though.  The first rounder has value but is a long-shot at that stage of the draft.  Hunter's the real question because he has good potential but there are signs his stock may have been at a high also.  Not having Kuzzy's salary in the off-season is likely the biggest win of all, although I'd argue that we could have kept him and traded him for more assets in the off-season when the cap goes up and there are more suiters.  But it's a steep salary for what Kuzzy did this year.

 

If the Canucks go a couple of rounds or more in the playoffs or if Lindholm re-signs at a team friendly salary (bit of a stretch), I'd say the Canucks win this hands down.  So it's really way too early to judge.

[LillStrimma]

On 4/18/2024 at 8:16 AM, PureQuickness said:

 

What does that have to do with Monahan THIS YEAR? My point is that Monahan has outperformed Lindholm badly this year, hence making him a better center option than Lindholm.

 

But honestly, I really hope Lindholm proves me wrong and has a monster playoff/Stanley Cup run with Vancouver. I WANT him to prove me wrong - and I will eat crow when he does. I will do this because I love this Canucks team.

 

Does he outperform Lindy in other ways than just points?

If not you should ask yourself how many points Monahan would get with Tocchet as coach.

[PureQuickness]

11 hours ago, NHL97OneTimer said:

5 good assets......it really depends what those assets were going to get him otherwise though.  The first rounder has value but is a long-shot at that stage of the draft.  Hunter's the real question because he has good potential but there are signs his stock may have been at a high also.  Not having Kuzzy's salary in the off-season is likely the biggest win of all, although I'd argue that we could have kept him and traded him for more assets in the off-season when the cap goes up and there are more suiters.  But it's a steep salary for what Kuzzy did this year.

 

If the Canucks go a couple of rounds or more in the playoffs or if Lindholm re-signs at a team friendly salary (bit of a stretch), I'd say the Canucks win this hands down.  So it's really way too early to judge.

 

Yes, there's been a lot of misses, but at that stage of the draft, you could get a player LIKE Boeser - or you could consider it to be a high 2nd rounder. Both of which are not nothing. If Lindholm doesn't do anything, we essentially throw that chance away for a not-so-good trade.

 

I've been critical about Lindholm, but I'm also willing to praise him if I see any improvement. I think he's starting to find his stride. I really REALLY want him to do well here because if he does well here, he can get his money (totally his right) and the Canucks can get a real shot at a cup.

 

Pettersson seems to be saving his game for the playoffs, at least that's what I hope.

[BC_Hawk]

On 4/17/2024 at 12:58 PM, Phil_314 said:

3rd line C for $6 million, after a small sample size?  He's going to have to take a Klingberg show-me deal in my opinion.  We paid to get him in the trade but it doesn't automatically warrant him getting big bucks, even if it means him providing us with valuable depth if his place in our cap structure could screw us up with an underwhelming season.

Lindholm is a proven performer in the NHL; he doesn't have to take a "prove me" deal to prove anything to anyone. He is worth 6-6.5m to the canucks. If he wants more, he will have to go elsewhere...thats it in a nutshell.

[BC_Hawk]

On 4/17/2024 at 10:51 PM, N4ZZY said:

What gives you the impression that he's going to remain here? 

 

Essentially we HAVE...meaning currently. There is a reason PA targeted him since last offseason. They will try everything they can to resign him w/o screwing up our cap. No guarantee he stays, especially with another top tier team in Boston very interested.

[BC_Hawk]

On 4/18/2024 at 1:28 AM, NHL97OneTimer said:

Dreaded indeed.  6x6 is a bad omen for all parties.  I don't think he's worth that to be honest.  He doesn't contribute offensively much, so the question is if you can find a good defensive center who's great at faceoffs for cheaper.  Tough but I think JR and PA have to look for that.  The following year will be rough with OEL's salary cap hit.  I'm guessing they can't trade that cap hit so they really are against the wall cap-wise even after finding a way to bury Mikheyev's contract in the off-season unless they find a cheap repacement for Lindholm.

 

My 2 cents - you have to keep this D as much as possible including Myers at $3M/yr if he signs that.  Keeping Zadorov and Joshua are somewhat central to this club's near-term success and more vital than Lindholm right now.

Agree with what you said, with the exception of needing a 2/3C to simply win faceoffs. Lindlholm is an elite defensive specialist, with offensive ability. He is SO much more than just a guy that is mid 50s-60% in the dot. Watch a game and focus in on him every shift; his ability to be in the right place and effortlessly blanket cover top players is insane. We never got to see it this year, but a healthy Lindholm is McDavid Kryptonite. 

Edited April 19 by BC_Hawk

[BC_Hawk]

11 hours ago, NHL97OneTimer said:

5 good assets......it really depends what those assets were going to get him otherwise though.  The first rounder has value but is a long-shot at that stage of the draft.  Hunter's the real question because he has good potential but there are signs his stock may have been at a high also.  Not having Kuzzy's salary in the off-season is likely the biggest win of all, although I'd argue that we could have kept him and traded him for more assets in the off-season when the cap goes up and there are more suiters.  But it's a steep salary for what Kuzzy did this year.

 

If the Canucks go a couple of rounds or more in the playoffs or if Lindholm re-signs at a team friendly salary (bit of a stretch), I'd say the Canucks win this hands down.  So it's really way too early to judge.

Agree. When you take into account Kuzmenko's negative trade value, we essentially traded Lindholm for a 2nd/3rd and Hunter. Though he has played very well this year, Hunter gives me Rathbone vibes; he would have had no place on the Canucks moving fwd.