Calgary Flames general manager Craig Conroy provided a small update on the status of top center Elias Lindholm — who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2024 — during his press conference on Monday introducing Ryan Huska as the team’s new head coach.
Conroy said the selection of a new head coach “definitely was a factor” in assessing Lindholm’s comfort level in remaining with the Flames long-term, adding that Huska already reached out to the 28-year-old forward on Monday morning.
“He [wanted] to know who the coach was going to be, what type of coach, how he sees the team being built forward,” Conroy said. “It’s still a work in progress.
“I’m going to be back in touch,” Conroy continued, adding that he intended to reach out to Lindholm later on Monday. “Like I said, he’s a priority for us and we’re going to get back to him and hopefully see how that moves forward. But now that the coach is done, I can kind of start focusing on these other things.”
Lindholm collected 22 goals and 62 points in 80 games with the Flames during the 2022–23 regular season. The Boden, Sweden product is entering the final season of the six-year, $4.85M-AAV deal he signed with the Flames back in 2018.
The Carolina Hurricanes originally selected Lindholm in the first round (No. 5 overall) of the 2013 NHL Draft. Lindholm never exceeded 45 points in his five seasons with the Hurricanes but has surpassed that threshold every year since arriving in Calgary.
The Flames acquired Lindholm and Noah Hanifin from the Hurricanes in 2018 in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, and unsigned prospect Adam Fox. Hanifin and Lindholm both signed six-year deals with the Flames that same summer. As a result, both players are slated to become UFAs in 2024.
They’re not alone. The Flames have seven major pending unrestricted free agents to deal with as they enter the final year of their contracts in 2023–24. In addition to the two ex-Hurricanes, the Flames must also reach decisions on Mikael Backlund, Tyler Toffoli, Chris Tanev, Nikita Zadorov, and Oliver Kylington.
It remains to be seen whether Huska will be able to help convince some of those players to re-sign in Calgary in the wake of a disastrous 2022–23 season which saw the Flames miss the playoffs and resulted in Darryl Sutter losing his job as head coach. Huska previously served as an assistant on Sutter’s staff.
“My position coming into this is a little bit different,” Huska said Monday. “Not a lot of coaches get the opportunity to move up within the same organization like I am getting here today.
“With my time here in Calgary, I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some very good coaches,” Huska continued. “Because of that experience I have had here within this organization, I am 100% confident that I’m ready for this challenge.”
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