Calgary Flames placing star player on the trading block

PUBLICATION

Liam McCormick
December 23, 2023 (10:09)

SHARE THIS STORY

The Calgary Flames have been in total disarray since they were out through the wringer by Darryl Sutter and lost out on their two biggest stars, Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. Now, the team is old, overpaid, and underperforming. The team is looking to continue their shake up, and likely take on a full rebuild, as they've placed forward Elias Lindholm on the trading block.

Being a free agent at the end of this season and seeing the current desolate state of the team, is extremely unlikely that Lindholm would be willing to stay in Calgary. In response, GM Craig Conroy is now reportedly listening to offers on their best player. After trading Zadorov just a few weeks ago, it seems like the Flames could be headed towards a full-scale rebuild.

Now 29 years old, Lindholm's offensive production has declined a bit this year, which could be attributed to the lack of talent on the Flames. Through 33 games this season, Lindholm has scored 8 goals and 23 points, and is owed just $4.85M for the rest of this season.

According to the report from Pierre LeBrun and several other hockey insiders, the Colorado Avalanche seem to be the front-runners to acquire Lindholm. As a cup contending team, they need the talent at the centre position, and Lindholm's low salary hit gives them the flexibility to get a trade done despite being close to the cap. After trading Tomas Tatar earlier this month, the team has already cleared out cap space, now we just need to wait for the Avalanche to make their move for Lindholm.