The Calgary Flames announced they have signed restricted free agent Elias Lindholm to a six-year $29.1 million dollar contract. The deal is worth $4.85 million per season AAV. The contract carries him through the 2023-24 season. The Flames acquired Lindholm in a draft day trade from the Carolina Hurricanes. Lindholm had an arbitration hearing scheduled for August 1st.
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Elias Lindholm Signs With the Calgary Flames
Lindholm had spent his entire five-year career with the Carolina organization. During that time, he has scored 64 goals and added 124 assists for 188 points in 374 games. The Hurricanes drafted Lindholm fifth overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
Last season, Lindholm scored 16 goals and added 28 assists for 44 points in 81 games. His possession numbers were 53.18% Corsi-for and a relative Corsi of -1.84.
What This Means For The Flames Moving Forward
The 23-year-old Swedish forward brings versatility to the Flames lineup by being able to play center or the wing. This allows him to be moved up and down the lineup as needed. Lindholm can help create offense for his team but also play a shutdown role. This is music to a coach’s ears. His ability to contribute on the powerplay and penalty kill is key for the Flames moving forward. Lindholm is also very reliable at the faceoff circle with a win percentage of 54.5%.
Lindholm is best known for his two-way game. He’s dependable in all three zones of the ice and consistently puts up 40 plus points each year. Being only 23, Lindholm is only scratching at the surface of his true potential. Lindholm joins a young Flames forward group led by Sean Monahan and Johnny Gaudreau.
The Flames hope that Lindholm will continue to grow in the coming years, and develop into an elite scoring threat in the top six. He has not hit those levels yet, however, there are some who believe he is poised for a breakout season.
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