In January, the Flames traded Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Andrei Kuzmenko, prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, as well as a 2024 first round pick and 2024 conditional fourth round pick. The condition on the pick was that the fourth would become a third if the Canucks advanced to the Western Conference Final, which ultimately didn't happen.
With their first round pick (28th overall), the Flames selected Russian forward Matvei Gridin from Muskegon of the United States Hockey League. Then later in the day, the Flames made a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers that included Vancouver's fourth round pick involved in the Lindholm deal for a fifth round pick and sixth round pick in 2024.
With the fifth round pick, Calgary selected forward Michael Misa of the Ontario Hockey League's Mississauga (now Brampton) Steelheads. In the sixth round, they chose defenceman Eric Jamieson from the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips.
It'll be interesting to look back on this trade in five years or so, if Brzustewicz and Jurmo become full-time NHLer and how they develop. Losing Lindholm to unrestricted free agency won't sit well with many, especially if the Canucks aren't able to find a replacement for him on the free agent market, but the asking price was probably too much for Allvin to make it work. Lindholm's regular season with Vancouver was pretty subpar, but he turned his game up a notch in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
