New Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy appears to have his work cut out for him.
Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli reported this week that top center Elias Lindholm as well as middle-six center and captain material Mikael Backlund are unsure about their long-term futures in Calgary. The Flames are waiting for official decisions on both, and speculation around the league is both are leaning toward not re-signing. Top-pair defenseman Noah Hanifin does not intend to sign extensions with the Flames, according to Seravalli, and Elliotte Friedman reported that top-six winger Tyler Toffoli is being made available for trade. He does not plan on extending, per Seravalli.
All four are set to hit unrestricted free agency after the 2023-24 season, and all would be important, useful pieces on playoff teams. As fun as another round of rumors for former future Bruins in Toffoli and Hanifin would be, Boston is still in a good place on wing and defense.
But reports on Lindholm in particular (no relation to Hampus) should perk the Bruins' ears up.
“He’s a priority here,” Conroy said of Lindholm last month. “For me, he’s a player you build around. We talk about centers. I look at him and think about everything he does game in and game out: face-offs, winnings, all those little plays. He’s a player that even as he gets older, if he moves down a little in the lineup he’s going to be still effective and help your team win day in and day out.”
When Conroy was hired, he harped on the importance of not allowing a repeat of the Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk situations last summer, losing two franchise cornerstones – one for nothing in free agency and the other in a trade that hasn't gone to plan through one season. Now, Conroy and the Flames are staring down a potential repeat scenario of having to part ways with cornerstone players. Surely, if
Conry isn't alone. Plenty of NHL executives, like Don Sweeney, are staring down the daunting task of trying to move a number of mountains in one offseason.
Sweeney has reportedly been in hot pursuit of some moves, "burning up the phone lines," even.
Re-signing Tyler Bertuzzi appears to be a priority, and Garnet Hathaway may not be on his way out of town either, according to Friedman in the latest "32 Thoughts" podcast.
"We've talked about how Boston would like to keep Bertuzzi. I think they'd also like to keep Hathaway," Friedman said. "That's another guy I think they really want to keep. I've heard Sweeney is burning up the phone lines. I think he's got some interesting stuff going on."
Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic also reports that Sweeney and assistant GM Evan Gold have been "pounding the phones in pursuit of deals, according to multiple team sources who have communicated with the executives."
Creating cap space is at the top of the priority list before the Bruins can do anything else, but Boston is also in need of a long-term solution at center.
Pavel Zacha showed some promise in his showcases as a second-line center this year, and while Charlie Coyle has also had some flashes, he has previously failed to take hold of opportunities in the top-six consistently.
Prospects Matthew Poitras, Brett Harrison and Georgii Merkulov could develop into top-six pivots, but the Bruins still lack a potential foundational piece down the middle.
Assuming David Krejci opts for retirement, a Patrice Bergeron return helps settle the lineup down the middle, but only in the short term.
Enter Lindholm.
Backlund makes sense positionally, but given his age (34), contract status and role as more of a defensive middle-six center, it doesn't make sense. Boston has one of those already in Coyle, and if they wanted another aging one like Backlund for the second line, they'd be better off seeking Ryan O'Reilly's services in free agency where they wouldn't have to give up assets. Even then, the fit wouldn't be as snug as Lindholm.
The Bruins have wanted Lindholm in the past, too, as Jeff Marek has mentioned a few times previously on the "32 Thoughts" podcast and the Jeff Marek Show.
"Anytime a center becomes available, you're going to think of the Boston Bruins," he said on Thursday's Jeff Marek Show. "You go back to that New Jersey draft [2013], and Boston was trying desperately to get in and get a pick right in that area where Carolina ended up taking Lindholm [fifth overall] because of how much they thought of him. ... Once upon a time, the Boston Bruins were hot on Lindholm, and that would make a lot of sense, but that's getting ahead of ourselves here."
That was under then-GM Peter Chiarelli, the Bruins didn't have a first-rounder, sending it to Dallas for (Bruins legend) Jaromir Jagr. Boston didn't have a pick until No. 60, selecting Swedish defenseman Linus Arnesson, who never played an NHL game before returning to Europe.
Interest in a player can shift from regime to regime over time, but Sweeney was an assistant GM at that 2013 draft, Cam Neely was president and senior advisor to the GM Scott Bradley was also in the front office.
But let's not dive too deep down the rabbit hole here. The bottom line is, like Pierre-Luc Dubois, the Bruins should at the very least inquire and put their hat in the ring.
The fit feels a little too perfect.
Lindholm, a Selke Trophy finalist in 2022, developed into a top-line center in Calgary, proving able to consistently play in every situation and reach at least 20 goals.
The Flames have truly leaned on Lindholm in every facet of play. In the last three seasons, no Calgary forward has played more time on the penalty kill (490:46), power play (646:21) and at 5-on-5 (2883:36) than Lindholm.
He centered one of the best lines in hockey with Gaudreau and Tkachuk, especially in their final year together in Calgary in 2021-22. All three hit the 40-goal mark, the first time in 28 years that all three linemates reached at least 40. His production took a bit of a hit this season without the same elite wingers, but he still put up 22 goals and 64 points. The good news for Boston in any potential trade is its strong depth on the wing.
Even if his production slipped this season without Gaudreau and Tkachuk, Lindholm's underlying numbers were still strong. The Flames held a 56.09 percent share of shot attempts when the 28-year-old was on the ice at 5-on-5 to go along with 55.35 percent of actual shots on goal.
Their goals-for percentages with Lindholm on in that situation dipped from 69.11 percent in 2021-22 (65.57, high-danger) to 53.06 percent in 2022-23 (55.77, high-danger). The same happened to their rates for scoring chances, even if the drop-offs weren't as drastic. Some of it can be explained by the seemingly unsustainable pace his line was on in 2021-22, and some of it can be explained by the overall nosedive Calgary took as a team this season in what was an untenable situation under Darryl Sutter.
He's solid at the face-off dot as well, winning over 50 percent of his draws in six of the last seven seasons (55.72 percent in 2022-23) and sitting at 53 percent on his career.
The Swede is still very much in his prime and a quality pivot who could be a viable, long-term solution in the top-six for the Bruins. He is a do-it-all option, who can be deployed at any point of the game.
The catch (because of course there's a catch) is both Boston's pool of tradeable assets and Calgary's cap situation. The Bruins' cap flexibility isn't the rosiest either (just shy of $5 million in space), as we know, but the Flames are up against it even more with only $1.25 million in space.
Lindholm is entering the final year of a deal paying him $4.85 million per season. It's a manageable enough number for Boston before his next contract (which could be a reported ask of 8x$8.5 million, like Bo Horvat) kicks in next summer when the cap is expected to rise significantly. The Bruins could have somewhere in the $29 million neighborhood to play around with for 2023-24.
Calgary wants to remain competitive. Matt Grzelcyk, Jake DeBrusk, Taylor Hall and potentially others could make sense in a potential return to the Flames in any deal for Lindholm, but Calgary taking on any additional money could get hairy, given how tight to the cap they are currently. What Boston lacks in draft capital, it could make up for by attaching a prospect, perhaps a player like Harrison.
If we're going to stick to the Horvat comparison, the Islanders sent a roster player (Anthony Beauvillier), a prospect (Aatu Raty) and a conditional first-round draft pick.
For the Bruins, maybe that looks like: Grzelcyk/DeBrusk, Harrison (or another prospect) and a draft pick (Boston does not have a first until 2025). Not having a 2024 first (sent to Detroit for Bertuzzi) stings even more.
Regardless of any move, whether it's to take a swing on Lindholm or chase after something else, be it cap flexibility or something off the board, Sweeney is going to need to be creative.
From the sound of the rumor mill this week, he may be a step ahead of us.
Bruins could clean up at the NHL Awards on Monday
Boston has nominees for six awards set to be handed out in Nashville. Thanks to their regular season success, the B's could be in line for some significant individual hardware.
Hart Trophy: David Pastrnak, Connor McDavid, Matthew Tkachuk
Ted Lindsay Award: David Pastrnak, Connor McDavid, Erik Karlsson
Pastrnak's case: Both MVP awards (Hart voted by PHWA and Lindsay by NHLPA) are essentially a race for second place. There's no denying what McDavid did this season was truly video-game-level stuff with 64 goals and 153 points. Just the sixth different skater to have a 150-point season. It's his third Hart Trophy to lose. Pastrnak and his 61 goals and 113 points should have a stronger case over Karlsson for second in voting for the Lindsay. While Karlsson's coming off a 101-point year as a defenseman, he was still below average in his own zone and had hardly the impact on the Sharks, who finished 29th in the league, that Pastrnak did on Boston, scoring 20.3 percent of the Bruins' goals and helping lead the best regular season in history. The most interesting race will be Pastrnak and Tkachuk (108 points), who was far and away Florida's most impactful forward, putting up 31 more points than the second-highest producer.
Vezina Trophy: Linus Ullmark, Connor Hellebuyck, Ilya Sorokin
Ullmark's case: Ullmark should be the favorite here, taking the triple crown after leading the league in save percentage (.938; Hellebuyck: .920, 5th; Sorokin: .924, 3rd), goals-against average (1.89; Sorokin: .234, 6th; Hellebuyck: 2.49, 11th) and wins (40; Hellebuyck: 37, 5th; Sorokin: 31, 9th). Among qualified goaltenders (min. 25 games), Ullmark was second in the league in goals saved above expected (42.4; Sorokin: 38.7, 3rd; Hellebuyck: 30.8, 4th) and first in goals saved above expected per 60 minutes (.883; Sorokin: .647, 4th; Hellebuyck: .489, 6th), according to MoneyPuck. He was third in high-danger save percentage at 5-on-5 (.871; Sorokin: .850, 7th; Hellebuyck: .828, 22nd), per Natural Stat Trick. The knocks against Ullmark will be the lack of games played (49) compared to Hellebuyck (64) and Sorokin (62), and his lack of shutouts (two) compared to Sorokin (six) and Hellebuyck (four). Nevertheless, it helps when you score a goalie goal, too.
Selke Trophy: Patrice Bergeron, Nico Hischier, Mitch Marner
Bergeron's case: Bergeron should be the clear-cut favorite for his record-extending sixth Selke Trophy, barring voter fatigue. Although not the only factors in his case, Bergeron led the league in face-off wins (1,043) and win percentage (61.1 – minimum 1,000 face-offs). Boston had a plus-28 scoring differential with him on the ice at 5-on-5. They were plus-37 at even strength. Hischier and Marner represent the next wave of forwards to have a stranglehold on Selke bids. Hischier set career-highs across the board for production, while winning 53.9 percent of his face-offs helping lead a Devils team that was much-improved defensively. Marner gets the rare nod as a winger (Mark Stone should have a Selke, if not for Bergeron having the award locked down). Had a 100-point season and was one of the league's very best penalty-killers.
Jack Adams: Jim Montgomery, Dave Hakstol, Lindy Ruff
Montgomery's case: Honestly, there's no wrong choice here. The Bruins were supposed to be in the mix as a likely wild-card team but exceeded their preseason expectations by miles under Montgomery en route to breaking records in the regular season. He got career years out of a number of players like Pastrnak, Ullmark, Pavel Zacha and more. But the Bruins were a playoff team the previous season and were supposed to be in contention for a spot again. Hakstol and Ruff truly turned their teams around. Ruff took the Devils from seventh in the Metro to first with a 25-win improvement. Hakstol took the Kraken from last in the Pacific to fourth amid a 19-win improvement. Those bouncebacks might give them the edge.
General Manager of the Year: Don Sweeney, Jim Nill, Bill Zito
Sweeney's case: Considering the voting on this comes after the second round of the playoffs – and not the end of the regular season – Sweeney, trying to become the second two-time winner with Lou Lamoriello, might not have a great case here. Sure, he brought back Bergeron and Krejci on the cheap and made a savvy trade for Pavel Zacha before the season. There was also the all-in trade deadline for Dmitry Orlov, Tyler Bertuzzi and Garnet Hathaway. The Montgomery hire was a home run in the regular season, too. But it was all for naught, and the Bruins are also saddled with $4.5 million in bonus overages with nothing to show for their trouble. Nill has a decent case, too, hiring DeBoer, re-signing Jake Oettinger and Jason Robertson and acquiring Max Domi and Evgenii Dadonov at the deadline. Both turned out to be impact players down the stretch. Still, I think this is Zito's to lose. Everyone will be frothing at the mouth over the Tkachuk trade, which could not have worked out better for Florida (save for a Stanley Cup), and the Paul Maurice hire. That this is voted on during the playoffs – after seeing how the Panthers came back against the Bruins and dismantled Toronto – helps his case tremendously.
Bruins announce preseason schedule
The B's released their preseason slate of games this week:
- Bruins vs. New York Rangers, 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 24 (TD Garden)
- Bruins at Buffalo Sabres, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 26 (KeyBank Center)
- Bruins vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 29 (TD Garden)
- Bruins at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 2 (Wells Fargo Center)
- Bruins vs. Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 3 (TD Garden)
- Bruins at New York Rangers, 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5 (Madison Square Garden)
Rookie camp will begin on Sept. 13, while main training camp will begin Sept. 20.