Elias Lindholm has been the subject of trade speculation for some time now. If the red-hot Calgary Flames cool off before the March 8 trade deadline, they could part with their No. 1 centre after six seasons. The expectation is that the pending UFA will draw plenty of interest.
At his best, Lindholm is one of the top two-way forwards in the NHL. That certainly was the case in 2021-22, when he put up 82 points in 82 games and was the runner-up for the Selke Trophy. This season, however, Lindholm has not been as impactful on either end of the ice. (Of course, he benefited greatly from playing with Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk two seasons ago, when the Flames finished with 111 points.)
The Flames lean on Lindholm in all situations. He is one of five forwards in the league who average at least three minutes on the power play and two minutes on the penalty kill per game, along with Jack Eichel, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mitch Marner and Valeri Nichushkin.
Only Sidney Crosby (965) has taken more faceoffs this season than Lindholm, who has won 56 per cent of his 879 draws. That is tied for 12th out of 89 players who have taken at least 15 per cent of their team’s faceoffs.
Lindholm can also be counted on to win puck battles. His average of 2.93 per 20 minutes ranks tied for 42nd out of 449 forwards who have received at least 100 minutes of ice time.
Outside of that, though, Lindholm has not moved the needle much, especially offensively. When Lindholm scored 42 goals in 2021-22, 66.1 per cent of his shot attempts came from the slot. That is down to 46 per cent this season, a major reason why he has just eight goals. (It was 53.9 per cent last season, when he scored 22 goals.)
“We expect (Lindholm) to generate offence for us, but he’s also a guy (who) we expect to play against top lines,” Flames coach Ryan Huska told reporters last month. “His 200-foot game is right up there in the league, in our opinion.”
Lindholm’s reputation could yield a significant return for the Flames. The Colorado Avalanche have been linked to Lindholm, who would slot in behind Nathan MacKinnon at centre. The Boston Bruins are another potential landing spot.
Although Lindholm would strengthen a contender’s lineup, his performance this season is not that of a player who will push a team over the top.
All stats via Sportlogiq