February 1st, 2024
Alex Rickman
The Canucks announced a blockbuster trade on Wednesday, acquiring Swedish centre Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames in exchange for fan favourite winger Andrei Kuzmenko, defence prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, and a 1st and conditional 4th round pick in the 2024 draft. At a glance, this may seem like quite a lot for the Canucks to give up simply to acquire one player who could walk away from Vancouver this offseason, but is this in fact the case? Let’s take a look at what the Canucks gave up in order to get Lindholm, as well as what he can bring to the team, and see if the Canucks did in fact overpay, or if this was a fair deal.
Starting with what the Canucks lost in order to secure Lindholm, one of the toughest pills for Canucks fans to swallow is the loss of Andrei Kuzmenko. While losing a fan-favourite player like Kuzy is never a happy moment, it’s evident that this move was needed, both for the Canucks and Kuzmenko. Kuzmenko’s poor defensive play and questionable at best forechecking did not match up well with Rick Tocchet’s philosophy, leading to Kuzmenko often being healthy scratched and not being trusted in close games. It’s hard to imagine that Tocchet would trust Kuzmenko to play meaningful minutes, if at all, in the playoffs, so a move seemed to be the only option at this stage. Opening up the cap space to add Lindholm was the only way this deal could work, and unfortunately for Kuzmenko, he just proved to be the odd man out this season. Hopefully, Kuzmenko can regain his form with a fresh start, because whether or not he’s still a Canuck, he won’t be forgotten by Vancouver fans any time soon.
Hunter Brzustewicz is another big piece to part with in this deal, but it could prove to be a savvy move to sell high on him now rather than wait. The 2023 3rd-round pick has been shining this season with the OHL’s Kitchener Rangers, posting a staggering 69 points in 47 games. The young blueliner has been nothing short of incredible this season, and it was quite surprising to not see him selected to represent Team USA at this past World Junior Championship. So why would the Canucks be willing to part with such a promising young piece for a possible rental? The fact of the matter is, we don’t know whether or not Brzustewicz can keep up the incredible rate he’s been playing at, so selling high may turn out to be a shrewd move for the Canucks. Brzustewicz would also likely never be able to get the top unit power play minutes he may be considered for in the future should he hit his potential behind Quinn Hughes on the Canucks blueline, so it’s not likely that Vancouver would ever be able to use him to the fullest extent of his ability. While trading Brzustewicz away could prove one day to be a move the Canucks regret, you can’t fault the front office for choosing to sell high in order to retain other prospects the organization has.
Hunter Brzustewicz isn’t the only former 3rd round defenceman heading to Calgary in this deal, as Finnish blueliner Joni Jurmo was also included in the trade. Jurmo seems like more of a throw-in than a prized asset, but does have an interesting tool chest that could maybe see something made of him if developed right. At 6’4 and 209 lbs, Jurmo certainly has the size to be an effective NHL defenceman, and at the time of his draft, he was praised for his smooth skating. It just seems that Jurmo has struggled to put it all together and make the necessary jumps to become an impact player in the NHL, and has moved teams within Finland several times since the Canucks selected him. Jurmo is still only 21 years of age so does have some time to make a jump to the next level, but as it stands, he doesn’t project to be a future NHL player. It was a surprise to see him included in this deal, so maybe the Flames see something in him that nobody else has seen of late, but fans shouldn’t worry too much at the thought of Jurmo heading to Alberta.
The part of this deal that had a lot of Canucks fans concerned was the 1st round pick being sent to a division rival, but it’s important to remember that not all 1st round picks are made the same. With the Canucks current position atop the NHL standings and no sign that the Canucks will fall out of the race for the President’s Trophy, this pick should land somewhere in the mid to late 20s at best regardless of the Canucks postseason performance. Knowing this, fans should be a lot more comfortable with the Canucks giving away this pick. The days of the Canucks sending the 10th overall pick to Arizona in exchange for OEL and Conor Garland have not been forgotten, but this is a different Canucks team who would be drafting in a very different position. The Canucks also sent the Flames a conditional 4th round pick that will become a 3rd should the Canucks find themselves in the Western Conference Finals.
So, knowing what the Canucks gave up in order to get him, what do the Canucks now have in Elias Lindholm? Lindholm has been having something of a down year this season, but at his best, he can be one of the league’s premier two-way centres. Two years off finishing second in voting for the Selke Award, the Flames struggled to put Lindholm in a position to succeed after losing wingers Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, but Lindholm has remained their best forward despite the tough position he’s been put in. While he may not have it in him to put up 42 goals as he did in the 2021-22 season again on a regular basis, Lindholm is still an excellent shutdown centre with very steady top-six production, which will likely improve with better linemates on the Canucks. It’s unclear exactly who Lindholm may end up partnered with, but early reports indicate that the Canucsk front office is intrigued by the idea of Lindholm and Elias Pettersson ending up as linemates. Should this idea go through, it feels likely that Ilya Mikheyev would be the third piece on this line, while JT Miller centres a line with Brock Boeser and Pius Suter to round out the top six. If this is the way they go, the Canucks would end up with an elite top six both offensively and defensively, which lines up strongly with Rick Tocchet’s vision for how this team should play.
The main concern many Canucks fans have with Lindholm does not come from his play but from his contract. Lindholm is set to hit free agency on July 1st, and it does not sound like the Canucks have an extension worked out, meaning there is a possibility that he could turn out to be a pure rental. However, it’s hard to imagine a world where the Canucks would give up as much as they did for a player they don’t believe they have a very strong chance to retain. The Canucks have quite a few pieces set to hit the market this offseason, so there may be a way for the Canucks to creatively open up some cap space to keep some of these key players due for an extension, including Pettersson, Hronek, and now Lindholm, around. Assistant GM Émilie Castonguay, who has been overseeing contract extensions for the Canucks since joining the front office, is yet to miss on a deal, so Canucks fans have little to no reason to doubt her ability to make the important moves happen.
Overall, the long-term value of this trade will depend on a few factors. For the Canucks, whether or not Lindholm re-signs, as well as the Canucks playoff performance this year, will determine a lot of the way this trade goes down in history. Should the Canucks go on a deep run and be able to lock down Lindholm to an extension, this trade will be looked upon quite favourably by the fans, and may even go down as one of the best moves the Rutherford and Allvin regime have made to date. However, should the Canucks suffer a quick exit in the playoffs and lose Lindholm in free agency, fans may begin to question the responsibility of giving up some of the assets the Canucks have lost simply for a few months of Elias Lindholm.
On the Flames side, there are a few moving parts here, but the majority of the way this will be viewed hinges on the development of Brzustewicz, whether or not Kuzmenko bounces back, and what they can turn the 1st round pick into. Brzustewicz could turn out to be a player the Canucks regret losing should he maintain his current pace, but one has to question the realism of a former 3rd rounder turning into the top-four piece some fans believe him to be. Kuzmenko is an intriguing addition to a rebuilding Flames team and may find his stay in Calgary short if he can pick his play up. Still, even with a short stay, if he can land the Flames some good assets to aid their rebuild, he could prove to be a smart buy for Craig Conroy. As for the pick, much like Brzustewicz, we may not know how this turns out for a few years, but could turn into the piece that makes or breaks this deal. If this pick turns into an impact player, the Canucks could soon come to regret forking it over to a division rival.
At the end of the day, while the asking price was high, the Canucks did a good job adding the best centre on the market to their roster before a potential rival could. The cost may have been higher than some fans hoped to see the Canucks pay, but if the Canucks want to take contending seriously, this is the addition they needed to make. Could the assets handed over to Calgary eventually come back to haunt the Canucks? Sure, it’s a possibility. But if this is the move that can put the Canucks over the hump and help deliver a Stanley Cup to Vancouver, I don’t think many fans will be complaining.