Report: Canucks have ‘had discussions’ about flipping Elias Lindholm to Bruins to make a Jake Guentzel trade happen

The run-up to this year’s NHL trade deadline has had no shortage of twists and turns — and TSN’s Chris Johnston introduced yet another one on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a new report by Johnston, the Canucks remain interested in acquiring Pittsburgh Penguins winger Jake Guentzel and might even be willing to flip Elias Lindholm to the Boston Bruins to make it happen.

“With the Canucks believed to be among those pursuing Jake Guentzel, word is they’ve had discussions about potentially flipping Elias Lindholm to the Bruins as part of the machinations needed to make it happen,” Johnston tweeted. “Nothing concrete in place at this time. Still lots of moving parts.”

Yes, that’d be the very same Elias Lindholm the Canucks got from the Calgary Flames just last month. The Canucks parted with Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, and two draft picks to make that particular deal happen in the first place.

But Lindholm has struggled to find his mojo since arriving in Vancouver in early February, collecting just four goals and six points in 14 games. He’s been held to just one point (a secondary assist) in his last eight games and has been shuffled around throughout Rick Tocchet’s lineup.

For comparison’s sake, Guentzel has 22 goals and 52 points in 50 games with the Penguins this season, although he’s been out since the middle of February with an upper-body injury. Guentzel is also familiar with Tocchet, Jim Rutherford, and Patrik Allvin from their tenures in Pittsburgh.

Lindholm and Guentzel are both scheduled to become unrestricted free agents at the end of the current season. Guentzel has a much stronger case for a big contract on the open market but could be an ideal fit alongside Elias Pettersson and/or J.T. Miller in Vancouver.

Meanwhile, the Bruins have been in need of a centre ever since they lost Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci to retirement back in the 2023 offseason. Lindholm hasn’t clicked in Vancouver and it might make sense for the Canucks to cut their losses early.

What fun! Get ready, because the 2024 NHL trade deadline is coming right up on March 8 at noon PT.