Hockey Insider Names Flames' Elias Lindholm Top Trade Target

According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the hockey insider sees Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm as the top trade target this season. Of course, things can change in a hurry, however the Flames appear open for business and are going to have a number of suitors to acquire Lindholm.

Seravalli had this to say in his recent trade piece on Daily Faceoff:

How often do No. 1 centers become available in the NHL? The answer is not very often, which is one reason why the Flames pushed to get Lindholm signed to a long-term extension before the season started. He’s a difficult guy to replace. At the same time, since Lindholm has been noncommittal, he represents an extraordinary opportunity for the Flames to harvest significant assets which they can then use as trade chips to reconfigure their roster. His low salary cap hit only adds to the reasoning as to why he would be the No. 1 most valuable player on the market if the Flames get to that point.

Lindholm has recorded five goals and 15 points in 22 games this season and would become a perfect number 2 centre on a Stanley Cup contender. His $4.85 million cap hit is very reasonable and affordable for a number of teams and if Flames GM Craig Conroy retains some salary, the trade return could become quite significant to include a first-round pick and top prospect.

The Flames are open for business and while all of their pending unrestricted free-agent defensemen are generating interest, moving Lindholm may fetch Calgary the best return.

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