Elias Lindholm was the hottest commodity on the trade market leading up to the deadline. He has been connected to various teams as we expected a trade to come sooner or later. We know now that it will be Vancouver adding the services of the star centreman. Two nights ago, news broke that the Vancouver Canucks were intensifying talks with Calgary to acquire all-star centre Elias Lindholm from the Flames. Although there were a few complications regarding Andrei Kuzmenko's no-trade list, the deal is done, and it's time to break it down.
The full trade is as follows: Elias Lindholm to Vancouver, Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, a 2024 1st-round pick, and a 2024 condition 4th-round pick to Calgary. At first glance, Calgary is getting a lot of assets, and a lot of value, in return for a pending unrestricted free agent who was unlikely to re-sign in Calgary. Let's break this down in further depth and discuss how well both sides did in this deal.
Only two days later (earlier today), it was made public that Sean Monahan would join the Winnipeg Jets via the Montreal Canadiens for a 1st round pick in 2024, along with a conditional 3rd round pick in 2027 (if the Jets win the Stanley Cup in 2024).
How Does This Affect the Canucks?
The main piece of this deal is centreman Elias Lindholm. Vancouver is having their best season in years, and this deal makes it clear that Patrick Allvin and the entire Canucks staff feel they have sufficient chances at the Stanley Cup. The Canucks gave up a lot to make this happen, maybe too much, but it's time to consider where Lindholm fits into the lineup?
The easy answer is that Lindholm will slot in as a top-six centreman. He is projected by the Daily Faceoff to slot in on the first line, playing on a line of Petterson - Lindholm - Mikheyev. While this is simply a projection of what might happen, it's a very possible line that Rick Tocchet tries out with his newly acquired star centre.
Not only does Lindholm bring scoring and playmaking, he is an asset in the faceoff circle. Only two NHL players have more faceoff wins than Lindholm this season; Sidney Crosby and Vincent Trocheck. While this hasn't been Lindholm best offensive season, he continues to fill the roles of powerplay, penalty kill, and even strength. This is a perfect pick-up for the Canucks, and it might not be their final move.
How Does This Affect the Flames?
This move is highly comparable to the one general manager Craig Conroy made last off-season, where Yegor Sharangovich was acquired for pending unrestricted free agent Tyler Toffoli. In this instance, a pending unrestriced free agent in Elias Lindholm, who was not going to re-sign, was traded for a boat load of future assests and a 27-year old winger that just came off of a season where he scored 39 goals and 74 points. That was his first year in the NHL. Despite his regression this season, this move is genius for Calgary. He has been in a much smaller role this season, which explains the drop off in his stats.
On top of Kuzmenko, Calgary adds a 2024 first round pick, defensive prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, and a conditional fourth round pick in 2024. Brzustewicz is having a stellar season in the OHL, with 69 points in 47 games for the Kitchener Rangers.
In general terms, before this deal, I and many others were heavily concerned with the direction of the Flames. Now, things look much brigther for them and their future. The elephant in the room, however, is the contracts of Nazem Kadri and Jonathan Huberdeau; let's see what Conroy can do about them going forward.
How Does This Affect the Jets?
Once Lindholm was traded, the market was set, and Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff did not wait to go out and get his guy. Sean Monahan is an excellent addition for what will likely be a late first-round pick. Monahan is on an absolute gem contract, making under two mllion average annual value. He already has 35 points; 9 of them coming in the past 6 games with Montreal. The Jets are adding a solid second-line centre that is perfect for power-play, five on five, and could even kill penalties if need be. Monahan is extremely good in the faceoff department, winning 55% of his draws.
Recently, the Jets have struggled with injuries, and this trade helps add depth to the centre position, which looks very empty when Scheifele is absent. Additionally, his low salary allows for other moves at the deadline to be much easier with the salary cap, if Cheveldayoff opted to make more moves. The one red flag with Monahan is his history with injuries. Let's just hope he can stay healthy for the sake of the Jets.
How Does This Affect the Canadiens?
There is really not much to unpack about the return Montreal fetches for Sean Monahan. The addition of a 2024 first round pick is solid, along with potentially a 2027 fourth round pick, if the Jets win the Stanley Cup.
Although, looking back at how Montreal acquired Sean Monahan, the asset management by general manager Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton is masterful. They acquired Monahan and a first round pick in 2025 (with many conditions, the pick could move to 2026) from the Flames for absolutely nothing in the 2022 offseason. Not only did the year and a half Monahan gave to the team provide them with assets, but also leadership for the young group of players Montreal is developping.