The end of the Vancouver Canucks season — a 3-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Western Conference Second Round– doesn’t just mean the end of a wonderfully surprising 109-point season that saw them claim the No. 1 seed in the Pacific Division and reach the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
No, it also means a number of very important front-office decisions for players with expiring contracts. Chief among them is center Elias Lindholm, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Unsurprisingly, his teammates are pushing for him to stay. And it resulted in one of the funniest moments we’ve seen in an NHL press conference this season.
When a reporter asked Lindholm what he was looking for in his next contract, teammates Thatcher Demko and JT Miller chimed in before he could answer.
“Be really specific,” Demko noted as Miller followed up with, “Year and term.”
The light-hearted joke drew a chuckle out of Lindholm. But you know what they say — there’s truth behind every joke. Miller and Demko’s quip is a seemingly very real push to get Lindholm to re-sign in Vancouver.
“I have heard there’s been a full court press by — I don’t know if it’s one Canuck player or a couple — on Lindholm,” NHL insider Elliotte Friedman said on his recent 32 Thoughts podcast. “It was really clear from the end-of-season media conference that those guys really like playing with each other. I do think a couple of guys have tried to sell Lindholm on trying to find a way to make it work. They saw value in his postseason.”
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Canucks saw Elias Lindholm value first-hand after trade with Flames
The Canucks acquired Lindholm from the Calgary Flames via trade in January, adding a playmaking center to their core weeks ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Two years removed from a 2021-22 season when Lindholm score 42 goals and 82 points on a point-per-game pace, playing in between Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the Swedish center struggled to find the same success in the subsequent seasons without them as linemates.
He may not have dazzled in the regular season this year, with 44 points in 75 games, and just six goals and 12 points in his 29 games with Vancouver. However, he more than proved his worth in the postseason.
Lindholm was a vital piece on their second line, mostly centering Dakota Joshua (four goals, eight points) and Connor Garland (three goals, five points) and driving the line’s offensive production while also seeing time on Vancouver’s top power-play unit. Behind an already elite top line that boasted JT Miller and Brock Boeser, prior to his injury, Lindholm’s production added a dynamic layer to the Canucks top six.
In 13 postseason games, Lindholm had 10 points, including five goals, two of which were game winners. It was Lindholm that scored the OT winner in Game 4 against the Nashville Predators, giving the Canucks a 3-1 series lead in Round 1, completing the comeback after Vancouver trailed by two in the final two minutes.
There’s obvious value to retaining a player the caliber of Lindholm, particularly for a Canucks team that will set its sights high after a successful first full season with Jack Adams Award-winning coach Rick Tocchet. Unfortunately for Vancouver, it will likely be a tall task.
“Lindholm is probably gonna be out of their reach,” Friedman said Wednesday. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if they look at all of these guys, and Lindholm is the first one I think of, where they say, ‘alright give us a number, tell us what it’s gonna be, and we’ll see if we can do it.'”
Lindholm hit the books at an average annual value of $4.85 million, finishing up the final season of a six-year deal that he signed with Calgary. As both the NHL salary cap and his own value continue to rise, one can only imagine that the talented offensive center, who will be 30 next season, will look for a nice pay raise.
Lindholm didn’t give much away when asked about his next contract during Thursday’s presser.
“I don’t know. Next couple days, I’ll probably talk to my agent and go from there. It’s still pretty fresh and still haven’t really put a thought into it.”
While it’s to be expected that he won’t give much away at this stage, he did speak very positively about his half-season in Vancouver.
“It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously, a great group of guys. I had a lot of fun here. Obviously, we fell a little short, but I thought we all should be proud.”
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Several factors complicate Canucks re-signing Elias Lindholm
Further complicating matters, Lindholm is far from the only expiring contract that Canucks general manager Patrik Alvin has to worry about.
Nikita Zadorov, who was also sent to the Canucks this season in a trade with Calgary, and Tyler Myers are UFAs, both of whom played an important physical role on Vancouver’s blue line. Joshua is also eligible for free agency after an NHL career-best 32 points and strong postseason. Meanwhile, top line defenseman Filip Hronek and postseason-standout goalie Arturs Silovs are restricted free agents who will be eligible for arbitration.
With just over $23 million of cap space, numerous holes to fill, and Boeser’s and Demko’s contracts expiring in the next two seasons, there won’t be enough space to bring the whole core back.
Vancouver will be far from the only team in the Lindholm sweepstakes. While plenty of NHL teams would love to add an elite offensive forward down the middle, the Boston Bruins have long been to tied to Lindholm.
“I’m expecting [the Bruins] to be in on him if he hits the market,” Friedman said. “People definitely believe that Boston is going to get a center. Whether it’s Lindholm or [Chandler] Stephenson or somebody we’re missing right now, there’s definitely a belief Boston is going to do something here down the middle, as they have promised.”
The promise Friedman is alluding to comes from the Bruins’ end-of-season presser, when GM Don Sweeney stated, “We’re gonna be aggressive,” in regards to the upcoming offseason.
NHL free agency begins July 1st at noon ET, and Lindholm will be one of the top players available. While an extended stay with Vancouver may be up in the air, it’s too early for Canucks fans to get pessimistic.
“I would be shocked if we get to October and they don’t do something that makes us all go ‘holy smokes, I didn’t think that was gonna happen,'” Friedman concluded. “We always think logically about what teams are going to do. With the Canucks, you have to think differently because you know they are.”