Lindholm set for fresh start after being traded to Canucks from Flames

Elias Lindholm knew he would be traded by the Calgary Flames before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 8, but the center was still surprised to find out he had been moved to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday, especially while on a plane back from vacation in Mexico.

“Midflight, I somehow got some service and was peppered by some text messages and phone calls,” Lindholm said at NHL All-Star Media Day at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Thursday. “I was traded halfway back to Calgary and got back home late [Wednesday] night, packed a new bag and got ready to come here.

“It was a little stressful packing. Going on a long road trip and trying to not forget something. But I’m kind of easygoing. It’s going to work out.”

Lindholm, who can become an unrestricted free agent after this season, joins the Canucks (33-11-5), who are tied with the Boston Bruins for the NHL lead with 71 points at the All-Star break. Calgary acquired forward Andrei Kuzmenko, Vancouver’s first-round pick and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2024 NHL Draft, as well as defenseman prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo in the deal.

After the whirlwind since Wednesday, the 29-year-old smiled when glancing behind the podium at Media Day at his nameplate, which already had a Canucks logo. The trade gives Vancouver six players at All-Star Weekend: forwards Lindholm, Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, defenseman Quinn Hughes and goalie Thatcher Demko.

“I had this in the back of my mind for a long time, so I’m kind of happy it’s over with and I’ll get a fresh start and go to a really good team,” Lindholm said. “Hopefully we can continue to do what they’ve been doing and have some fun later on.”

Lindholm said his agent had recently spoken to Flames general manager Craig Conroy, who “kind of said that this is the way it’s going.” But Lindholm didn’t know when or where he would be moved. Lindholm said he “was always willing to stay” in Calgary, where he played six seasons.

“I had a great time in Calgary, loved my time there and [have] a lot of good memories,” Lindholm said. “I tried to work it out, but this is the business side of it. Calgary wanted to obviously do something. … I was prepared, but, at the same time, every time you’re traded, you’re kind of shocked anyways.”

Lindholm had 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists) in 49 games this season for the Flames (22-22-5), who are sixth in the Pacific Division and trail the St. Louis Blues and Nashville Predators by five points for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference.

This is the second time Lindholm has been traded in his NHL career. The Carolina Hurricanes traded him to the Flames on June 23, 2018, as part of the deal that sent defenseman Dougie Hamilton to the Hurricanes. This trade reunites Lindholm with Canucks president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford, who held the same role with Carolina when it selected him with the No. 5 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.

“[The call with Rutherford after the trade] was good,” Lindholm said. “I’ll always be grateful to him for giving me that opportunity. It’s a small world and we now cross paths again.”

Lindholm had an NHL career-high 82 points (42 goals, 40 assists) in 82 games in 2021-22 playing on a line with high-scoring forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau. With all three members of that line now on other teams -- Tkachuk was traded to Florida Panthers, and Gaudreau signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets -- it can be considered the end of an era in Calgary.

But Lindholm said his focus has quickly shifted to fitting into Vancouver’s lineup and not trying to do anything “extraordinary,” whether he plays on a line with Pettersson, Miller or Boeser, or on a separate unit.

“[This season] has been up and down,” Lindholm said. “We had a good run. I had a lot of fun playing with [Tkachuk and Gaudreau] -- really good line -- that year. But [the Canucks] have a lot of elite players as well. Hopefully it’s a good fit for me.”