ESPN’s bold prediction: The Avalanche will trade for Elias Lindholm
Jan 12, 2024, 11:53 AM
The Colorado Avalanche are still searching for a second-line center, and ESPN thinks the answer could be Elias Lindholm.
There have been rumblings about the Flames center being linked to the Avs in trade rumors, and now Greg Wyshynski is making that his “bold prediction” for Colorado in the second half of the season.
The Avalanche have tried to replace Nazem Kadri since he left after winning the Stanley Cup in 2022, but still haven’t found the right guy. Ironically, Kadri is now Lindholm’s teammate in Calgary.
Lindholm will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so the Flames might try to get some value in return before he walks away. With just 43 points, Calgary is fighting for a wild card spot, but it’s a crowded field. It may make some sense to move on.
“Sometimes when there are enough whispers, eventually it gets shouted from the rooftops,” Wyshynski writes. “Colorado has been linked to (Lindholm) for the better part of the season. He’s an essential fit behind Nathan MacKinnon on the depth chart for one of the West’s top contenders.”
Lindholm had a 42-goal season in 2021-2022, proving he can find the back of the net with the best of them. He had 22 goals last year and just eight so far this year. A change of scenery could do him some good.
In his career, Lindholm, 29, has 147 goals and 206 assists. He spent five years with Carolina before spending the last six in Calgary.
Now what Colorado GM Chris MacFarland and President Joe Sakic would have to give up remains to be seen. Would the Flames ask for someone like defenseman Bowen Byram? That would be tricky for MacFarland and Sakic, but a sacrifice they might have to make.
So far this season, it’s the usual suspects leading the Avs in points. Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar and Valeri Nichushkin all have 40 or more. After that, fifth on the team is defenseman Devon Toews with 24 points.
Ryan Johansen and Ross Colton are both solid players, but neither projects as a true second-line center at this point in their careers.
The NHL Trade Deadline is March 8, so MacFarland and Sakic have some time to make these decisions. But Lindholm is firmly on the radar, with ESPN boldly predicting it will happen.
