The Calgary Flames could look very different in the not-so-distant future.
According to Daily Faceoff insider Frank Seravalli, the Flames have pulled out all the stops to try and get Elias Lindholm to sign an extension with the club this summer.
Unfortunately for the Flames brass, who are still waiting for a response from Lindholm’s camp, it seems unlikely that Lindholm will stay in Calgary based on speculation around the league. Servalli said the Flames haven’t been given a definitive answer on Lindholm’s future as of yet.
The 28-year-old is coming off of a 64-point campaign with the Flames, an 18-point downturn from his career high of 82 in 2021-22. Lindholm has spent the past five years with the Flames, recording 50-plus points four times and coming just short in the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 campaign.
Lindholm has one year left on his $4.85 million cap hit with the Flames, making him the sixth highest-paid forward on the squad. It is largely seen as one of the best value deals in the league, but he’s set for a big payday on his first deal as an unrestricted free agent.
Servalli also reported that the Flames have a bit more clarity about the future of defenseman Noah Hanifin, who does not plan to sign an extension in Calgary. Hanifin, 26, has one more year left on his six-year deal with a $4.95 million cap hit. According to Cap Friendly, Hanifin has a modified eight-team no-trade clause.
Hanifin has also spent the past five years with the Flames, showing his worth as a strong two-way defenseman. He’s coming off of a 38-point campaign this year, 10 points behind his career-best of 48 set a year ago.
Then there’s Mikael Backlund, who has one year left at $5.35 million. According to Seravalli, Backlund is also leaning toward not re-signing in Calgary. Servalli said the situation could still change and that the Flames hope it will.
Backlund, 34, has played his entire NHL career with the Flames since getting drafted 24th overall in 2007, but that could change once his contract comes up. Backlund had a career-high 56 points this season and has hovered around the 40- to 50-point mark throughout most of his career.
Cap Friendly says the Flames have $1.25 million in available cap space this summer. The team has five pending UFAs, but all serve as depth players.
It’ll be interesting to see if the team looks to bring players up from the Calgary Wranglers AHL team, such as Jakob Pelletier, Connor Zary or Jeremie Poirier. The team is headed into its first season with Ryan Huska as coach and Craig Conroy as GM after making wholesale changes this summer.
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