Although the NHL trade deadline isn’t until March 8, by then we usually have a few intriguing rumors to dissect and discuss.
However, in contrast to the previous season, there aren’t as many rumors circulating as there were—at least not yet. What is the cause of that?
During an Insider Trading segment last Thursday, TSN’s Chris Johnston stated, “Well, it was a big week for pro scouting meetings, which is an important part of the process for most teams, as they prepare for March 8.” It normally prevents those kinds of conversations since, as you would imagine, many teams are currently wanting to improve their squads. “Once they select targets, they go team by team throughout the league, looking for fits potentially for deals.
“After a few waiver claims were filed by the Calgary Flames on Thursday, we have now seen seven players claimed on waivers in January alone. However, the word I’m hearing is that it’s congested since the rankings aren’t really clear. There aren’t many genuine sellers. Therefore, even if there are many teams trying to expand, it appears that the trading market will develop slowly.”
Johnston makes a very good point about the standings. For instance, all but two of the Eastern Conference’s clubs are either guaranteed a postseason berth or are within ten points of one. All but three of the Western Conference’s teams are either in the postseason or within six points of it. For many of these clubs vying for a wild card place, it’s still too early to give up. It is therefore not surprising that few trade deadline sellers have yet to solidify.
Elias Lindholm of the Calgary Flames is one player that could be transferred. The Flames might lose Lindholm for nothing in free agency this summer if they are unable to sign him to a contract. Currently, the team is four points off of a playoff berth.
A common rumor is that Lindholm might end up with the Boston Bruins. Although it is no longer an urgent requirement considering how successfully Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha have taken over as the team’s top six centers in place of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, the Bruins are still among the top contenders in the Eastern Conference.
Recently, Corey Pronman and Julian McKenzie of The Athletic highlighted six teams that might consider a trade for Lindholm. For every one of those clubs, they prepared a fictitious trade proposition.
For the Bruins’ fictitious package, Pronman and McKenzie came up with this:
From the Bruins’ point of view, this appears to be a significant overpayment.
To begin with, if the Bruins are going to trade another first-round pick, they really ought to be acquiring a top-tier talent. Only two of the previous six drafts have they selected in the first round, and it doesn’t even account for the fact that they already owe the Detroit Red Wings their 2024 first-round pick as a result of last year’s Tyler Bertuzzi trade.
Unexpectedly, youngster Matthew Poitras made the Opening Night roster and has scored 15 points in 33 games. Poitras would be difficult to let go of given the Bruins’ need for youthful centers with offensive prowess, particularly at such an early stage of his career.
Naturally, one must give in order to receive, and Lindholm is an excellent two-way player. However, he has also suffered a significant decline in his scoring output since losing Matthew Tkachuk, his best winger, at the end of the 2021–2022 season. In 49 games this season, Lindholm has totaled 32 points (nine goals, 23 assists). Trent Frederic costs significantly less in terms of the salary cap than Lindholm and has 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 49 games.