Lindholm traded to Canucks by Flames for Kuzmenko
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Elias Lindholm was traded to the Vancouver Canucks by the Calgary Flames for Andrei Kuzmenko on Wednesday.
Calgary also received Vancouver’s first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, and defenseman prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo.
Lindholm had 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 49 games for the Flames this season, his sixth with Calgary. He’ll become the sixth Vancouver player at the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game in Toronto on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS), joining forwards Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson, defenseman Quinn Hughes and goalie Thatcher Demko. It will be the first All-Star Game for Lindholm.
The 29-year-old center has 545 points (212 goals, 333 assists) in 792 regular-season games with the Flames and Carolina Hurricanes, and 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 27 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
Lindholm, who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, was selected by the Hurricanes with the No. 5 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
The Canucks (33-11-5) are tied with the Boston Bruins for the NHL lead with 71 points and signed general manager Patrik Allvin to a three-year contract Wednesday.
Kuzmenko had 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists) in 43 games for Vancouver this season after having 74 points (39 goals, 35 assists) in 81 games last season, his first in the NHL.
The 27-year-old forward was undrafted and signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks on July 13, 2022. He agreed to a two-year, $11 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) on Jan. 26, 2023, and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.
The Flames (22-22-5) are sixth in the Pacific Division and trail the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators by five points for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.
Brzustewicz, 19, has 69 points (eight goals, 61 assists) in 47 games for Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League. He was a third-round pick (No. 75) by the Canucks in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Jurmo, 21, has two points (one goal, one assist) in six games for KooKoo in Liiga, the top professional league in Finland, after having one assist in 28 games for Ilves.