Insider Thinks Canucks Can't Afford To Re-Sign Lindholm

After the Vancouver Canucks traded for Elias Lindholm prior to the deadline this year, he struggled a great deal in adjusting to his new team. There were even rumblings that the Canucks were going to swap him out for another player at the trade deadline in order to somewhat correct their mistake. Well, now that the games really matter, Lindholm is showing just how valuable he can be for Vancouver.

Not only is Lindholm leading a shutdown line in the playoffs, he and his line is also producing offensively. He didn't have a great season on the Calgary Flames or Canucks, but looking back to the previous five seasons in Calgary, he was a great player that proved it at both ends of the ice.

Lindholm is a Selke Trophy finalist and three-time top-10 finisher in voting. He has been locked into a very team-friendly deal for six years, making $4.85 million AAV. He scored 15 goals and 44 points this season, his lowest since 2017-18 for the Carolina Hurricanes, but also has five goals and nine points in 11 playoff games.

The great two-way center is going to get a raise of at least $2.5 million AAV on his next contract, and Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff doesn't see how the Canucks can make the money work to re-sign Lindholm. He is a UFA after the season and it seemed very likely he would just hit free agency because the fit wasn't there, but his value has gone up when games matter the most.

The Canucks have to deal with Oliver Ekman-Larsson's buyout hit that will be going up by double the amount for a couple of years starting 2025-26 as well as signing a backup goalie, 5+ defensemen, Dakota Joshua, and more forward pieces. There isn't an unlimited amount of cap space and some key contracts are ending within the next year to two. Lindholm will be able to get a better contract elsewhere and will have suitors.