NHL Trade: Media Thoughts On The Elias Lindholm Trade To The Vancouver Canucks
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The Calgary Flames have traded forward Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks for a 2024 first-round pick, a conditional fourth-round pick, forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defenseman Hunter Brzustewicz, and defenseman Joni Jurmo. The condition is if the Canucks make Western Conference Final, the fourth becomes a third.

Eric Francis: Flames GM Craig Conroy: “What I was looking for in return, I got it. I was looking to get younger, and picks, and a roster player – they checked all the boxes, and it was the best deal moving forward. “I’m thinking it’s a fair deal. A good hockey trade for both teams.”

Dan Milstein: “We have been working with the Vancouver Canucks and the Calgary Flames since Sunday. Andrei Kuzmenko spoke with both the GM and Head Coach prior to agreeing to the trade. He is looking forward to joining the Calgary Flames. He is extremely appreciative for the support received from the team and fans over the last 1.5 years. Thank you for giving him the opportunity to play in the NHL and call Vancouver home.”

Thoughts from the media:

Thomas Drance: “Column coming shortly, but there’s no one that came close to fitting more of Vancouver’s various needs – a right handed draw winner, a PP1 fit that doesn’t need the puck, a 2nd line C that can also play wing, a sturdy penalty killer – than Elias Lindholm. ”

Thomas Drance: “Honestly, I think it’s a significant price. A 2024 first rounder + a third-round pick that had *popped* in a massive way as a D+1 prospect + an additional prospect + Kuzmenko + an additional pick. Cost is in line with the Horvat and ROR returns from last season.”

Ryan Pike: “For the Canucks crowd: Elias Lindholm is good. He can’t carry a line entirely on his own from an offensive standpoint, but he’s a strong two-way presence and a lot of why Gaudreau & Tkachuk produced was because Lindholm helped get them the puck.”

Derek Wills: “While it’s WAY too early to evaluate this trade, getting a good NHL player, 1st and 4th-round picks and two prospects for a player the team was not going to come to terms with on a long-term deal is well done by Craig Conroy.”

Charlie O’Connor: “That’s a haul. I like Vancouver going all-in, but it certainly didn’t come cheap. Basically what you have to do if you want to execute a trade for one of the best rentals available a month early.”

Wes Gilbertson: “I can’t claim to be an expert on the prospects, but this seems like a substantial haul for #Flames, especially since they didn’t want to meet Lindholm’s asking price on an extension.”

J.D. Burke: “There are, understandably, going to be a lot of Canucks fans upset at the prospect of losing Brzustewicz, but this is just savvy manoeuvring by Allvin/JR. It isn’t always easy and exceptions apply, but if you trade your prospects at the height of their value, you win most often.”

Aaron Vickers: “Joni Jurmo, for those who might be curious, was ranked No. 53 in
@FCHockey‘s 2020 #NHLDraft Guide. He’s a massive defenseman (6’5″, 209lbs). “Jurmo is one of the draft’s most interesting and unique players.””

On Brzustewicz

Cap Friendly: “Hunter Brzustewicz was #Canucks 2023 3rd round pick (75th overall) He currently has 69 pts in 47 GP for the Kitchener Rangers (OHL). He has not been signed to an ELC”

Aaron Vickers: (thread) “My quick impressions of Brzustewicz from the YoungStars in Penticton, who I thought had middle-pair upside: Brzustewicz is a smooth puck-mover who excels in the offensive zone, working the top of the point with precision.

He’s very crisp with his outlet passes on breakouts, and he has the ability to skate the puck out of danger, too. He’s able to use his feet to avoid pressure in his own end and through the neutral zone.

He can quarterback a power play effectively with his ability to move east-west at the top of the zone and distribute the puck. Defensively, Brzustewicz could use some refinement in his positioning, but he does offer up good gap control when defending off the rush.”

Cam Robinson: “Canucks selling high on Hunter Brzustewicz is how you do it. The statistical profile is not indicative of his future is impact.”

J.D. Burke: “I think Brzustewicz could develop into a power play specialist who can hang as a team’s No. 4, so long as he has a reliable, steady partner Then again, there also exists the possibility that he’s just org. depth, if that. And the odds lean toward that outcome, sadly. Way it goes”

Jonathan Willis: “Comparables suggested he was a steal when they took him in the third round last year, and he’s exploded since. RD leads Kitchener in scoring with 69 points in 47 games.”