It should come as no surprise the Vancouver Canucks are kick-starting the trade season by acquiring Elias Lindholm from the Calgary Flames. President of Hockey Operations Jim Rutherford has a history of making moves before the NHL Trade Deadline.
NHL Trade: Vancouver Canucks Acquire Elias Lindholm from Calgary
It goes back to his days running the Pittsburgh Penguins during their runs to back-to-back Stanley Cups and before that, when he was the president and general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Rutherford likes to pull the trigger on a player, especially if he likes him. He teased a potential move when he was on TSN Toronto Radio on Wednesday a few hours before the trade went down when asked if he would wait until after the NHL All-Star Break to make a move.
“I’m not going to share anything with you, but we may not even wait until after the All-Star Break,” Rutherford stated.
If you go back to a year ago, this time, the Canucks were at it again. The Canucks sent Bo Horvat to the Islanders and extended Andrei Kuzmenko, who was traded as part of the package to acquire Elias Lindholm.
The Vancouver Canucks are going “All-In” with Jim Rutherford being the President of Hockey Operations. Rutherford needs credit, as well as general manager Patrik Allvin.
Without Allvin buying into Rutherford’s philosophy of buying early before the deadline, the Canucks do not pull the trigger on acquiring Nikita Zadorov first, followed by Lindholm.
Both Rutherford and Allvin have been extended over the next three years by ownership. Rutherford’s extension happened about a week ago, and Allvin’s happened on Wednesday, the day of the big trade.
Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Allvin knew his team needed a depth piece once the Canucks reached the playoffs.
“I don’t want to get into specific needs, but in general, we’re looking at different areas and what’s available. We all know you need to have depth down the stretch to be successful… so we’ll see and act accordingly based on what’s available,” Allvin told the media on Wednesday at his press conference.
The Canucks have been one of the nicest surprises this season. Nobody expected Vancouver to be in first place in the Pacific Division and the Western Conference. There is a good chance the Canucks could win the Presidents’ Trophy this season as well.
Head coach Rick Tocchet has gotten the players to buy into the system and the mission of the team. It helps when Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller, Quinn Hughes, and Thatcher Demko all have career seasons. But when the spine of the organization has so much success, it leads to team success.
Thus, the players gave Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin no choice but to make an early move to solidify the depth of the organization.
Lindholm will give the Canucks the depth down the middle the organization had been looking for. Not to mention, if they need to move Lindholm to the wing, he can do that. Also, Rutherford and Allvin show that while it is important to have prospects in the system for the future, sometimes moving those assets out for success now makes more sense.
Who knows if Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, and the player they might selected in the 2024 NHL Draft would even impact the club down the line?
Who knows if the Canucks led by Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin, are even done. Don’t be surprised if they make another move for a defenseman like Chris Tanev or someone else to bolster the blueline.
And with the success of the Canucks and the commitment to win and management, does this change Elias Pettersson’s tune to want to stay long-term in Vancouver?
These are things to watch moving forward with the Vancouver Canucks. There is also the potential of Lindholm signing an extension in Vancouver.
But do not be surprised if Canucks management pulls the trigger on another move once the NHL returns from the All-Star Break.
More must-reads: