Vancouver Canucks May Gain Lindholm Trade Years – Hockey Writers – Canucks Transactions

On the 31st of Jan. This year’s Vancouver Canucks kicked off the trade deadline season with a splash that saw Calgary Flames center Elias Lindholm go to the Canucks as Vancouver prepares for a big playoff run. Lindholm was seen as the missing piece for Vancouver as the team was in desperate need of a second line center who could help solidify their core and help their top six players. But with this trade came a high price, the Canucks gave up several assets to their division rivals the Flames. They will have to play them four times a season and the Canucks may see the Flames in a future playoff game based on the current format. With the way the Canucks’ season ended and how Lindholm was successful, this trade could come back to haunt them for years because they gave up so much.

Traded Players Just Contribute to Calgary

In the deal, the Canucks gave the Flames struggling Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Joni Jurmo and Hunter Brzustewicz, as well as a first-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 Draft. The Canucks were serious about this job doing whatever it took to get this player. Management didn’t care what the price was, as long as they got Lindholm. But for the price they paid, dominoes would soon follow which proved to Vancouver that the organization paid too high a price.

What happened immediately after the trade was Kuzmenko seemed to find his game and started putting up points with the Flames. After scoring just eight goals with the Canucks in 43 games, the Russian defenseman nearly doubled his goal total with his new team in just a few games as he scored 14 goals in 29 games. But that was the first of many empires to fall.

When they part with prospects like the Canucks did with Jurmo and Brzustewicz, you never know if they’ll end up blossoming into NHL players. But even after only five months, both prospects are of great interest to the Flames and general manager (GM) Craig Conroy seems to have plans for both to play for his team. Both guards signed entry-level contracts with the Flames and will play in the American Hockey League (AHL) for the Calgary Wranglers in the short term.

Conroy talked about both players at the Flames’ recent camp. When asked about Brzustewicz he said, “He sees the ice offensively, he’s a guy we were happy to get.” When it came to Jurmo, Conroy said, “He had a good week, I don’t think I expected the bad result he had.” He’s big, he moves well, he’s competitive. I think you had a good week.” Both of these prospects are close to being NHL-ready and close to becoming impact players for the Flames as they move up the prospect pool.

Draft Picks Became Great Prospects

Then look at what the draft pick turned into. The Flames held on to the Canucks’ draft pick at pick 28 and selected Russian Matvei Gridin from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Gridin scored 38 goals and 83 points for the Lumberjacks and is expected to play in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) next season with the Rimouski Oceanic, according to Scott Wheeler of The Athletic, as he will be retiring from the University of. Michigan because of insufficient grades. Gridin has signed an NHL contract during development camp and with that contract, he is now part of Calgary’s future.

Related: Matvei Gridin – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile

The fourth round pick also received in the trade was used to trade up to the fifth round where the Flames selected Brampton Steelheads forward Luke Misa. He was expected to go higher than where he went at pick 150 but his 5-foot-10 height made many teams shy away from him, which is why he has fallen so far. He scored 81 points in the 2023-24 season for the Steelheads and will be entering his fourth year of Ontario Hockey League (OHL) hockey and will be a leader on his team in September.

With what Lindholm did for Vancouver in their playoff run, this trade wasn’t worth it. The Canucks only reached the second round and Lindholm did not succeed as they hoped and left without freedom the first opportunity he received. Now they have to deal with the fallout from that decision and it could be bigger than management thought.