Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
TORONTO — Elias Lindholm said he had anticipated that the Calgary Flames might trade him. He just didn’t expect it happen so close to the NHL All-Star Game, mid-flight after a beach vacation.
“I was on my way back from Mexico and then I somehow got some service. I was peppered by some text messages and phone calls,” said Lindholm, who was sent to the Vancouver Canucks in a multiplayer deal Wednesday night. “I was traded halfway back to Calgary, got home late last night, packed the new bag and got ready to come here.”
The Canucks acquired Lindholm from the Flames for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defensemen Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick and a conditional 2024 fourth-round pick. Lindholm was one of the most coveted players ahead of March’s NHL trade deadline, a versatile center who excels on both ends of the ice. He is also a pending unrestricted free agent.
Lindholm said neither he nor his agent explicitly told the Flames that he wasn’t going to re-sign with them this summer.
“I was always willing to stay. I loved my time there. Tried to work it out. But Calgary wanted to do something,” he said.
But Calgary GM Craig Conroy said he had anticipated trading Lindholm before the March 8 deadline. His timeline was moved up when Vancouver aggressively increased its offer.
Lindholm said his agent had indicated a few days prior to the trade that things were trending toward a move.
“I was ready. I was prepared for anything. I obviously didn’t know when or what team — and I didn’t expect to be traded coming back from Mexico. But like I said, I’m super excited to join this team and pumped to get going.”
Lindholm goes from a Calgary team that’s outside of a playoff seed to a Vancouver team tied with the Boston Bruins for the most points in the NHL at the All-Star break. It also reunites him with Vancouver president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who drafted Lindholm fifth overall in 2013 while general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Lindholm said he spoke with Rutherford after the trade was completed.
“I’ll always be grateful for him for giving me that opportunity. It’s a small world. Now we cross paths again, so it’s fun,” he said.
Lindholm will represent the Canucks during All-Star Weekend in Toronto, leaving the Flames with no representative at the midseason event.
