Trade grades: Canucks, Lindholm a fantastic fit

Welcome to Toronto … and Vancouver?

On Wednesday night, Elias Lindholm landed in Toronto for All-Star Weekend as a member of the Canucks. The Flames traded the veteran forward to Vancouver in exchange for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defensive prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, the Canucks' 2024 first-round pick, and a conditional 2024 fourth-rounder. (If Vancouver advances to the Western Conference Final, the fourth becomes a third.)

It's a reunion of sorts for Lindholm. Canucks president Jim Rutherford selected the 6-foot-1, 202-pound Swede fifth overall at the 2013 NHL Draft.

Let's take a look at the deal from both perspectives.

The Canucks

For starters, props to the Canucks for being aggressive on the trade market.

Other contenders could have gobbled up the marquee names and forced Vancouver into Plan B or C. Instead, it's Vancouver - unexpectedly first in the Western Conference with 71 points through 49 games - setting the tone.

So, from a very high level, a big swing like this, this early, makes sense.

What takes the trade from "cool, they're being aggressive" to "oh, this might actually put them over the top" is the fit between player and team. Lindholm, a 29-year-old unrestricted free agent, was exactly what the Canucks needed: a right-handed center to slot in comfortably behind superstar Elias Pettersson.

Lindholm can absorb some of the defensive load Pettersson's carrying on a night-to-night basis. A 55.5% faceoff guy this year, he can help the Canucks improve their 16th-ranked success rate in the circle. He can also boost the penalty kill, which is tied for 15th. As a bonus, there's a spot for Lindholm on the top power play unit (sorry, Pius Suter, your time on PP1 is effectively over).

Perhaps best of all, Lindholm can go back to skating with high-end producers. He scored a career-high 42 goals in 2021-22 alongside Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. Since that trio broke up, offense has been harder to come by. Part of that's on Lindholm. Part of it's on Yegor Sharangovich, Andrew Mangiapane, and Jonathan Huberdeau being his most common linemates.

We'll see how Canucks coach Rick Tocchet moves bodies around, but there's a strong chance Lindholm starts with JT Miller, who's fourth in the league in points, and 30-goal man Brock Boeser. Or maybe Lindholm, who finished second in Selke Trophy voting two years ago, ends up on Pettersson's line.

Rutherford and general manager Patrik Allvin weren't gifted Lindholm, of course. Trading a first, a third or fourth, two prospects, and Kuzmenko is not nothing for a pending UFA. Yet, that's what's required to reel in one of the best forwards available five weeks ahead of the trade deadline on March 8.

Amazingly, the Canucks gained a bit of financial flexibility here. Lindholm's $4.85-million cap hit is $650,000 less than Kuzmenko's $5.5 million.

Grade: A

The Flames

This swap is a pure volume play for Flames GM Craig Conroy. None of the five pieces coming to Calgary qualify as a premium asset - which, on one hand, is unfortunate, and on the other, is not the end of the world during a retool.

Given the Canucks' success, the first-rounder will be in the 20s or 30s.

Kuzmenko is a flier. He went from bagging 39 goals as a rookie alongside Pettersson to eight goals in 43 games so far as a sophomore. He seemed to find a permanent home in Tocchet's doghouse. A change of scenery could do Kuzmenko good. If not, the sharp-shooting Russian winger is a UFA in 2025.

Brzustewicz is a legitimate NHL prospect. He leads all OHL defenseman in points this season - no small feat. A smart, right-shot puck-mover, the 19-year-old is closer stylistically to the cerebral Rasmus Sandin than dynamic Cale Makar. Brzustewicz could blossom into a top-four D-man down the road.

Jurmo, a 6-foot-3 Finnish blue-liner, is a long shot to make a serious impact in the NHL, and the other pick - a third- or fourth-rounder - is a lottery ticket.

Again, no asset in the package blows you away. But a few have potential.

Lindholm wasn't re-signing in Calgary and didn't have an extension in place with Vancouver before the deal. So, realistically, the ceiling on the return was never going to be exceptionally high. The Flames could have waited until closer to the deadline to see if something better materialized, but Conroy also has Chris Tanev, Noah Hanifin, and (possibly) Jacob Markstrom to shop.

The overall haul is, in a word, solid - especially given the circumstances.

Grade: B-

John Matisz is theScore's senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).