Report: Avalanche looking to trade for former 40-goal scorer
Dec 18, 2023, 3:25 PM
The Colorado Avalanche may soon have three of the top five picks from the 2013 NHL Draft on the ice together, with the brother of a fourth on the team too.
On a new episode of SportsNet’s 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman tried to make sense of Colorado’s recent trade of Tomas Tatar to the Seattle Kraken. The move freed up a roster spot and a tiny amount of cap space. And one name from a fellow West team that is struggling west team sticks out: Elias Lindholm.
“The other team really looking around: Colorado,” Friedman said. “They made that Tomas Tatar trade, and everybody is saying, ‘OK, what’s the other shoe?’ And I think they need to wait because they’ve got some cap issues and roster issues, but there isn’t a contender in the league who isn’t trying to figure out what the Avalanche are up to. I know some people suspect (Elias) Lindholm. They’re not the only ones, but I know some people suspect that that’s one of the guys that they’re eyeing.”
Lindholm is in his 11th NHL season and sixth with the Flames. The 29-year-old has tallied 20 points in 31 games this year but his numbers are again down from a career year in 2021-22 where he scored 42 goals and dished out 40 assists. The fifth pick in the 2013 Draft, has been in the NHL since he was a teenager and was part of a giant trade sending All-Stars back and forth between Calgary and Carolina in the summer of 2018. Lindholm has produced 17 points in 27 playoff games for the Flames but the team has not made it out of the second round in his time there—including a 2019 first-round gentleman’s sweep by Colorado.
“I think Lindholm is one of the guys they’re looking at, but I’m sure there are others,” Friedman continued.” Again, I don’t know what’s going to happen, or how much is going to happen before the freeze. Like I said, Colorado has got some roster issues and some cap issues. They might have to wait, but they’re lurking. There’s no question that they are lurking out there.”
Lindholm is in the final year of his contract which carries a cap hit of $4.9 million, which is just about what Colorado is projected to have available. More importantly, Lindholm fills the role Colorado has been looking to fill since now Flames teammate of Lindholm, Nazem Kadri left Denver.
Lindholm, a Swedish forward, broke Gabriel Landeskog’s mark of youngest goal scored by one of their countrymen in the NHL.
If the trade does happen, Colorado has until March 8 to make it—but the NHL will institute a roster freeze beginning Tuesday night until Dec. 28. The Avs currently lead the Central with 40 points.
Between Nathan Mackinnon, Jonathan Drouin and Lindholm, Colorado will have the market cornered on the 2013 draft, and Caleb Jones is the brother of a top-five pick from that class too.
