NHL Rumors: Vancouver Canucks and Pending UFA Elias Lindholm
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman and Jeff Marek on 32 Thoughts: The Podcast – Loser Thinking episode on Vancouver Canucks pending UFA forward Elias Lindholm.
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Marek: “What about Elias Lindholm?”
Friedman: “So, I remember a few weeks ago when we were in the pod, I think it was actually during the game, we said that, we talked about how the efforts to recruit Canucks players were very intense. You have to stay. You have to stay. You have to find a way to stay. I still think that happens.
Me, this is my guess, okay. I think the Canucks are willing to get into the seven-figure range. I am not sure it will be done.”
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Marek: “Wow.”
Friedman: “I think the Canucks, I think the Canucks want this player.”
Marek: “That man is a great value.”
Friedman: “Yes. Now I had an argument with someone. One said to me, another said to me, ‘why would you do that? Got Pettersen for $11.6 (million). He got Miller $8 (million). Why would you go to Lindholm for $7 (million)? Need your third-line center to make $7 million?
And you know what I said to them, Jeff? I called you ‘stupid thinking.'”
Marek: “Oh jeez, what about you and you’ve lost your mind? Anything you disagree with his thinking is lost. Remember when we have to say oh that’s not Stanley Cup practice. Oh, that’s not Stanley Cup practice, Elliotte. Oh, you’ve got to clean it, it’s not a Stanley cup, what’s wrong with thinking?”
I totally disagree with his lost thinking. “…
Friedman: “Because you set the record straight at the beginning of this podcast.”
Marek: “Protecting property is what I was doing.”
Friedman: “First, you pay good players. And secondly, secondly, you pay for positions sometimes as well. And you are an institution.
But the other thing, I see those three guys as flexible players. You can move them. You can play Pettersson, Miller, Lindholm down the middle, but you can move them to the wing. You can move them.
Check out what Vancouver looked like with those three guys on their roster. If I have to stretch my dollars a little bit to keep those three guys on my list, I’ll do it and then I’ll figure out what I have to do to make it all work.
But I, this is my guess, I think Vancouver is willing to get into that range. I’m just not sure it’s happening. I don’t want to speak for Lindholm but I felt it was difficult as it started in Vancouver, I heard that he likes it a lot there.”
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Marek: “Now, and he played well and it looks like he enjoyed it there and they enjoyed having him. And I’m with you on the flexibility. I mean you can mix and match and move these guys. The cement hasn’t hardened around them in the positions with the Vancouver Canucks.”