The NHL selected Elias Lindholm as the Calgary Flames’ sole representative for the 2024 All-Star Game in Toronto, a perplexing decision that could work out in Calgary’s favour. When news of his selection broke on Jan. 4, countless onlookers were baffled by the decision, wondering how it came about.
Lindholm has thus far endured his least-productive offensive campaign since arriving in Calgary five years ago. And it’s not even close, but more about that later. Contrary to initial belief, the Flames had nothing to do with his peculiar selection. The NHL hockey ops department handpicked the 29-year-old Swede, making him the second Flame hailing from the land of IKEA and innumerable ice hotels to land a spot in the marketable, albeit meaningless, extravaganza. He joins Kent Nilsson in that rarified air.
The NHL’s press release placed a glossy veneer over Lindholm’s selection, probably convincing those who know nothing about the Swede or the Flames that he was indeed the rightful choice. The NHL’s best spin doctors poignantly pointed to the fact that he has the most goals, points, and game-winning goals since joining the Flames in 2018-19. They added that he was the 15th player with the franchise to record five 20-goal seasons, another tasty tidbit.
While inarguably impressive statistics, they should have no bearing on this season’s selections. Correct me if I’m way off base, but that honour should be reserved for those excelling in the current campaign. While a mystifying, even incorrect, decision, the NHL may have done the Flames a favour by firing Lindholm into the All-Star limelight.
Lindholm’s All-Star Game Appearance Could Improve His Trade Stock
Lindholm’s first All-Star Game appearance could prove substantially more fruitful than if he weren’t one of the NHL’s most hotly discussed trade candidates. While it might be a bit of a stretch to think a garish, overhyped, and whimsical weekend could improve his trade stock, it’s not inconceivable.
Lindholm will be sprung onto centre stage, with an assortment of general managers half-heartedly watching from afar, wondering if the Flames’ first-line centre could be the final piece to their Stanley Cup puzzle. I’m not suggesting that general managers wait for the All-Star Game to source potential new additions, nor am I under the illusion that the top brass of NHL hockey clubs give any credence to the showcase game’s on-ice product.
However, Lindholm’s participation represents a reminder, a gentle nudge to those searching for an impactful and affordable addition to their team. Lindholm will reunite with former teammates and banter with the NHL’s elite and most influential players, some of whom have instrumental sway on their own clubs. He’ll also, albeit briefly, become linemates with those representing teams who could be potential Lindholm suitors.
The pending unrestricted free agent has a current cap hit of $4.85 million, an utter bargain for would-be suitors come the Friday, March 8 Trade Deadline. Hopefully, over two weeks after Lindholm was anointed to the All-Stars-members club, everyone has taken a deep breath, allowing their shock and befuddlement to dissipate. Albeit unknowingly, the NHL has thrust Lindholm back into the spotlight. Should the Flames decide to offload the former Selke Trophy finalist, that inadvertent decision could benefit them for years to come.
Why Lindholm Isn’t the Flames’ First-Choice All-Star
Lindholm’s underwhelming 2023-24 campaign has been well documented, and for good reason. He has 29 points (eight goals, 22 assists) in 45 games, fourth on the Flames scoring chart. To put that into context, he is on pace for 53 points (15 goals and 38 assists). That would be his worst return since his time as a wee pup with the Carolina Hurricanes. Yegor Sharangovich (32 points), Nazem Kadri (37 points), and Blake Coleman (38 points) all out-rank the stoic Swede.
The not-so-prolific MacKenzie Weegar, Rasmus Andersson, and the oft-silent, underperforming Andrew Mangiapane are also four points adrift. While unequivocally substandard numbers, Lindholm’s current campaign isn’t as abject as it first appears. He has 543 points (211 goals, 332 assists) in 788 contests, a .69-points-per-game return. This season he is scoring at a .64 points-per-game clip, an insubstantial discrepancy.
Related: Flames Have Better All-Star Game Options Than Elias Lindholm
At minus-6, Lindholm ranks 21st in plus/minus. Only four regulars have an inferior plus/minus: Adam Ružička (minus-8), Sharangovich (minus-11), Jonathan Huberdeau (minus-12), and Dillon Dubé (minus-13). Coleman sits imperiously atop that chart at plus-24, the NHL’s fifth-joint-best. On an aside, he has also been influential in spearheading a few of the Flames’ third-period comebacks.
Lindholm, at 47.5%, also struggles in Corsi for percentage. Only Ružička (46.7%) and Walker Duehr (46.2%), who have played fewer games, are inferior. On the positive front, he has the third-most shots (121), logs the most per-game ice time of the forwards (20:44), wins the most face-offs as a percentage (56%), and is as durable as he is healthy.
The 2024 All-Star Game takes place on Feb. 3 and is headlined by the return of the Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft, the first player draft in nine years. Lindholm can take some solace in the safe bet that Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews, the All-Star Game’s captains, won’t base their picks on the current season’s statistics.
Unfortunately, McDavid, as an Edmonton Oiler, already has an inherent bias against selecting Lindholm, which doesn’t help the Swede’s case for not being drafted last. While most fans will agree he shouldn’t have been selected to represent the Flames, nobody wants the beloved Swede to follow in Phil Kessel’s footsteps and have the ignominious picked-last tag.
