Canucks Acquire Elias Lindholm in Trade With Flames

The Vancouver Canucks opted against waiting until March’s NHL trade deadline to buff up their roster. On Wednesday, the team announced it had acquired veteran center Elias Lindholm in a trade with the Calgary Flames. 

The deal sees Lindholm join the contending Canucks, who sit atop the Pacific Division with 71 points in 49 games (33-11-5). The Flames, who are in fifth in the division, will receive a package headlined by forward Andrei Kuzmenko. 

In addition to Kuzmenko, Calgary will acquire Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick. 

In 2024, Lindholm, 29, has recorded 32 points including nine goals across 49 games and was named an NHL All-Star for the first time in his career. He’s scored 20 or more goals in four of the last five seasons–he had 19 goals during the shortened 56-game season in 2020-21–and racked up 357 points in 418 games throughout his six-year tenure in Calgary.

Lindholm is in the final year of his contract, a six-year, $29.1 million deal he signed with the Flames in 2018, and is due to hit unrestricted free agency after the season, making him a rental for Vancouver barring a long-term contract extension.

Kuzmenko, who turns 28 this weekend, agreed to waive his no trade clause in order to facilitate the deal. After an impressive 74-point campaign last season, Kuzmenko’s production has tailed off in his second NHL season, as he’s registered 21 points in 43 games this year.