It has been one year since the blockbuster trade that sent former Calgary Flame Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. It was a move that we knew was coming for months last season. Lindholm had rejected all the contract offers that were on the table from the Flames and he was completely checked out when the season began.
The writing was on the wall, but no one could have guessed the package the Flames would bring back for Lindholm because it was massive. The Flames received Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick, and a 2024 fourth-round pick. It was the first huge trade of Craig Conroy‘s time as an NHL general manager, so let’s see how it has panned out thus far.
Looking at how the return has panned out so far
The return for Lindholm is more than we could really ask for at this point, it is looking extremely solid with more than a few pieces who can be impact NHL players one day.
Andrei Kuzmenko
Andrei Kuzmenko was the first domino to drop, as he came to Calgary as a cap dump. He had his fun times here and was exciting to watch when his game was on—and he brought incredible vibes for the entirety of his time in Calgary—unfortunately, that wasn’t too often. However, the Flames were able to package him to the Philadelphia Flyers for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee. Considering he only had four goals this season before the trade, we can call his time here a success.
Hunter Brzustewicz
Hunter Brzustewicz may have been the most intriguing piece coming over from the Canucks, an offensive defenceman who torched the OHL last season with the Kitchener Rangers as he put up 92 points. He has made the transition to the AHL this season and has really found his footing as of late. The upside on Brzustewicz could be massive with his offensive potential. Only time will tell, but he looks very promising.
Joni Jurmo
Joni Jurmo has just been a throw-in with this deal. He may have some defensive upside, but he has only played 18 games this season split between the AHL and ECHL. He seems like a long shot to make the NHL.
2024 first-round pick
The big piece in this deal: the Flames would select 28th overall in the 2024 draft with that pick, and they selected Matvei Gridin. Gridin was a monster last season in the USHL, as he led the entire league in scoring with 83 points in just 60 games.
He was originally slated to play at the University of Michigan this season, but a last-minute change now sees him playing for the Shawinigan Cataractes in the QMJHL. The transition thus far has been seamless for Gridin, as he currently leads the team in scoring and is on pace for 85 points. Not bad for your first year in a new league.
There is serious top-six upside with Gridin. A pure sniper who can see the ice well, is very creative, and is a good skater. I am very excited to see what he can become in a few years’ time.
2024 fourth-round pick
The Flames would end up moving this pick to the Flyers on draft day for two additional picks in the fifth and sixth rounds, and that fifth-round pick could very well be the steal of the draft. With that pick, the Flames selected Luke Misa, who had a brilliant draft year and is following it up with another superb season as he is on pace for 89 points.
A smooth skater with a scoring touch, Misa could end up being a very nice player for the Flames one day. With the sixth-round pick, the Flames selected Eric Jamieson. This could be a sneaky pick for the Flames if everything works out. Jamieson is a rock-steady defenceman who hits hard and defends well, but there is a bit of offence to his game. He could be a long shot to make it one day, but we will have to see how he develops over the next few years.
Evaluating how Lindholm has performed since the trade
It is safe to say that the Flames dodged a major bullet by not locking up Lindholm to a long-term contract last year. When Lindholm arrived in Vancouver he was very underwhelming, he only scored 12 points in 26 games leading up to the playoffs. He was so bad that the Canucks considered moving him before the deadline a year ago.
They chose to keep him, and he had a nice playoff for them. He recorded 10 points in 13 games, including a dramatic overtime winner in the first round against the Nashville Predators. However, Lindholm would not extend in Vancouver and would hit the free agent market in July, signing with the Boston Bruins on a massive seven-year contract at $7.75M per year, a number we Flames fans were very scared of.
It has gone about as poorly as you can ask for Lindholm in Boston. He is on pace for just 42 points and has been a net negative for a Bruins team that thought he was going to come in and anchor their team’s top line alongside David Pastrnak. It has been very tough sledding for Lindholm, and his contract is looking like one of the league’s worst deals in year one of seven.
Craig Conroy cooked with this trade
A year later, the deal that sent Lindholm out continues to look better and better. With multiple pieces from the original deal looking like they can be impact players and the most recent trade of Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee for Kuzmenko, they added two more guys that can also be major cogs for the future of this team.
These are the types of trades we wanted to see and this is what officially started the retool the Flames are in. Time will tell if it all pays off, but for now, it looks very promising.
Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire
