Could Elias Lindholm really be moved again before the NHL trade deadline? ft. Jeff Paterson: Canucks Conversation
1 month ago
On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by Rinkwide’s Jeff Paterson to discuss the rumours surrounding Elias Lindholm and whether he fits with the Vancouver Canucks moving forward.
Lindholm has struggled to find a rhythm since arriving in Vancouver after being acquired from Calgary in what was seen as the first blockbuster trade of the season. With just 2 goals and 4 assists in 14 games and seemingly inconsistent roles, there are reports that Lindholm may be included in Vancouver’s stock of available trade pieces approaching Friday’s deadline, particularly in a deal involving Pittsburgh’s Jake Guentzel.
“It’s getting spicy,” JPat said. “It’s why we love this time of year, and it’s been too long since the Canucks have been in a position to take a legitimate run at something. Absolutely edge-of-the-seat kind of stuff! If we play out this Lindholm rumor and the Canucks peddle him, it does lend some credence to the notion that maybe he was picked up as insurance if this organization didn’t have certainty it was going to retain Elias Pettersson. Now that they have Pettersson signed for 8 years, they don’t necessarily need Lindholm. He just hasn’t been a fit. Sometimes that’s the case, and if you have the luxury of righting a wrong before the deadline and can flip him – Boston isn’t going to just take him off the Canucks’ hands; they’re not going to do them any favors. So, we’ll need to see what the price to acquire Jake Guentzel is.”
JPat noted the not-so-easy circumstances surrounding Lindholm’s arrival, with a few factors to consider when analyzing his relatively poor performance to this point.
“The guy was in Cabo for a vacation, learns of the trade at thirty-thousand feet, heads home to Calgary, packs a bag, goes to Toronto, then has to join his new team out on the road for five games,” said JPat. “Eight of his first ten games were on the road, and the team hasn’t been playing particularly well. That’s massive for a guy coming to a new team – systems are different, even if you’re a veteran. The Canucks played those ten games in seventeen nights – almost no practice time whatsoever. If he makes it through the deadline and he’s still with the Canucks, that nine-game homestand in March would allow a guy like that to exhale, get some downtime, and settle in.”
“Everyone wanted to believe Elias Lindholm and Elias Pettersson were going to form this chemistry right away. That didn’t happen. They tried each of them at centre; nothing really happened there. Then they moved him off that line, gave him a chance to play with J.T. Miller briefly, then they felt, ‘no, he’s a center, we’re going to give him his own line.’ It’s my understanding he’s trying to be a good teammate, but at the same time, he’s had some questions about what exactly they’re doing with him here. Without a doubt, it’s going to play on a guy’s mind as he’s trying to find his own game, and it’s been nothing but moving parts. So, I do cut him some slack. I expected a little bit more; he’s been good in the faceoff circle, been alright as a penalty killer, but they paid a big price. If he’s just going to be a third-line center (I don’t care who the player is), if you told me the Canucks were going to part with a first-rounder and others to get a third-line center, they paid a steep price to make that happen.”
You can watch the full segment in the video below:
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