Are the Avalanche clearing cap space for a Lindholm trade with Flames?
The Colorado Avalanche cleared out some cap space this weekend and there are some whispers that they could be eyeing up a trade for Calgary Flames forward Elias Lindholm.
Tomas Tatar was traded from the Avalanche to the Seattle Kraken, clearing up $1.5 million in cap space for Colorado, who now have about $4.825 million in available cap space due to players on LTIR.
On the heels of this, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman mentioned on the latest edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast that he has heard whispers from people that the Avalanche could have some interest in making a Lindholm trade with the Flames.
“I know some people suspect [the Avalanche have interest in Elias] Lindholm, but they are not the only ones,” said Friedman. “I know some people suspect that that is one of the guys [the Avalanche] are eyeing.”
It does feel a bit coincidental that the Avalanche opened up just enough space to fit Lindholm’s $4.8 million cap hit. A trade for the Flames’ first-line centre would be on brand for Colorado, who seems to be in almost every available big-name player over the past few years.
The Flames have been battling with the idea of tearing things down and becoming a seller at this year’s trade deadline. Calgary GM Craig Conroy already traded defenceman Nikita Zadarov to the Vancouver Canucks for draft picks earlier this season, and a decision will have to be made on other pending UFAs like Lindholm sooner rather than later.
A recent injury to defenceman Chris Tanev, who has been attracting plenty of trade interest, shows that there is a risk in waiting to make a trade.
So, what could a Lindholm to Colorado trade look like for the Flames? If Conroy is looking to acquire a young NHL-ready player in exchange, perhaps they could target a player like defenceman Bowen Byram, who has been struggling of late but does have a history of playing at a high level.
It might be a hard sell for the Avalanche, who are playing Byram on their second pair and don’t have a good replacement for him. Perhaps this could rectified by making the trade bigger and adding in Noah Hanifin.
If not Byram, the Flames could potentially settle for a package of draft picks and prospects. A 2024 first-round pick should be the starting point with the potential for a player like Calum Ritchie being added in as well.
It makes sense for both teams: the Avalanche are looking to bolster their centre depth and they do have the pieces to potentially entice the Flames into making a trade.
With the trade deadline a little less than three months away, the answer should come sooner rather than later.