Confirmed Trade: [VAN/CGY] Elias Lindholm for Andrei Kuzmenko, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo, 2024 1st, cond. 2024 4th

[biturbo19]

Calgary looks to have a pretty great track record with extremely gifted D-men who have lacking areas that need improvement. They identified Fox later in the draft, but also drafted and developed Andersson and Kylington and probably got the best case scenario out of both of them. Jeremie Poirier is also tracking extremely well after making the jump to the AHL after much larger question marks than Brzustewicz. I trust their development system to get the best out of him.

Calgary’s pipeline on defense was their biggest weakness in their prospect pool. They have Zary, Pelletier, Coronato and Honzek for forwards and Wolf for goalies, but only Poirier and Morin for impact defense prospects and both have question marks. Not a coincidence the two prospects added were defense, and another with top 4 potential in Brzustewicz is massive for their pipeline. That list of names is honestly closing in on being one of the most under rated prospect pools in hockey due to lack of blue chip prospects in it.

That's a fair point. Calgary has seemed to do alright with defenceman development. Aside from the bungling of Valimaki and a few other little snags here and there. Certainly fills a need in the Flames prospect pool.


Jurmo on the other hand, is about as spare change throw-in as throw-ins get. I'd be surprised if he even earns a contract. I don't think there was much of any chance he was gonna net one with the Canucks. But i guess hey, just an extra little bit of fluff to the deal...doesn't really hurt i suppose.

 

[Straight Fire]

I like what we got for Lindholm considering he was unlikely to re-sign. I'd almost say we won the deal. That said Vancouver gets a proven Selke candidate #2/#1 C that they may be able to get stay.

I'd say Vancouver is stacked now and Calgary is doing a good job rebuilding already.

 

[Double Dion]

Saying a "3rd round pick is a B prospect" is laughable naïve and simply not a fact.

Players obviously develop after they are drafted and their value changes accordingly. I'm shocked I have to explain such a basic premise.

Was Kris Letang a "B prospect" just before joining the league ? (He wasn't because he developed)

We drafted Adam Fox in the 3rd round.

That's a fair point. Calgary has seemed to do alright with defenceman development. Aside from the bungling of Valimaki and a few other little snags here and there. Certainly fills a need in the Flames prospect pool.


Jurmo on the other hand, is about as spare change throw-in as throw-ins get. I'd be surprised if he even earns a contract. I don't think there was much of any chance he was gonna net one with the Canucks. But i guess hey, just an extra little bit of fluff to the deal...doesn't really hurt i suppose.

Valimaki was never any good. He's still not any good. It was just a bad pick followed by injuries.

 

[McJedi]

Because now the likely best available options are Sean Monahan or Adam Henrique. Yay?

A late 1st and probably our 3rd/4th best prospect whose path to the NHL would’ve been blocked by Hronek and Willander anyway? Yea, that’s not going to hurt much.

the Avs don’t have a Brzustewicz level (B++) guy to offer. Our best prospects are quite a bit higher caliber. And we don’t have the upper middle good ones like him. After Gulyayev (who is thriving in the KHL), ours fall off more significantly to the next one (Behrens and Olausson).

kuzmenko is also more valuable than RyJo. Vancouver simply put a much better package together. You paid the full asking price required by Calgary. Congrats on your new 2C rental.

​

 

[Double Dion]

I like what we got for Lindholm considering he was unlikely to re-sign. I'd almost say we won the deal. That said Vancouver gets a prove Selke candidate #2/#1 C that they may be able get stay.

I'd say Vancouver is stacked now and Calgary is doing a good job rebuilding already.

I just hope the Oilers don't win the cup. I could even accept Vancouver winning it as long as the Oilers don't. McDavid playing defense and not cherry picking anymore scares me.

 

[WiLBoY]

7 canucks going to all star game

 

[biturbo19]

Saying a "3rd round pick is a B prospect" is laughable naïve and simply not a fact.

Players obviously develop after they are drafted and their value changes accordingly. I'm shocked I have to explain such a basic premise.

Was Kris Letang a "B prospect" just before joining the league ? (He wasn't because he developed)

I'd call Brzustewicz very much a "B Prospect". He's had a nice trajectory post-draft, but still a ton of risk factor and it hasn't been nearly long enough or far enough along the process to radically alter projections or suddenly start calling him a total bluechip "A Prospect".

The Canucks "A Prospects" are like...Willander. That's the list. Could maybe argue Lekkerimaki.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Kuzmenko will score a bunch of pts if Calgary doesn’t care about winning for the rest of the season, because he also bleeds a lot of goals

Kuzmenko immediately becomes the Flames biggest scoring threat. I’d even say he has the best hands on the team. Would like to see what he can do on the top line and #1PP unit. Flames lacked a pure goal scorer and now they got one. Hes going to be given every opportunity to produce offensively.

 

[DFF]

Doesn't feel like there's a loser in this trade, both teams get what they want.

Vancouver gets the right handed 2C they needed who can PK, can be on their PP, take draws, and be good defensively. Obviously the hope is he can thrive in a new system with new linemates considering he's been having a poor season by his standards. His play will likely dictate a lot of how this trade is perceived in the short term.

If he struggles, it will be rough for the Canucks, but he's an upgrade on that 2nd line even while having a poor season by his standards. See how he fares this season and, if possible, discuss a resigning in the offseason. Can see us moving out players with money to get it done should he have a great end to the year/postseason run.

Calgary gets a lot to like in this deal, and value wise probably comes out on top if things pan out for the pieces. The 1st is likely later but picks are always nice and welcome for a team struggling to compete. Loved Kuzmenko and his personality + electric play will be sorely missed. When he's going, he is a fun player to watch. Wish him the best in Calgary.

Brzustewicz is having a stellar year right now and has great potential. I've seen many people go back and forth on his value since being drafted and having the season he's having. Haven't seen much, only read reports but he sounds very promising and will be a loss for the Canucks blueline future. Not a sure thing though. I did see a couple games of his, but it was pre-season at the Young Stars tourney and watching him... I was very unimpressed at the time considering how many liked the pickup for a 3rd rounder. But since then he's been popping off. Has the potential to make the trade look silly eventually.

Jurmo is not much of a loss. If Calgary thinks they can get something out of him, great. But I've followed him a bit and he's just not it imo. Even my friend who I'm almost positive was the biggest Jurmo fan for a while after he was drafted and watched quite a few of his games gave up on him in the last year or so. Would not count on him being really anything, likely wasn't going to be signed by Canucks.

All in all, Calgary probably wins in total value if Brz, Kuz and the 1st can all pan out well for them and turn into tangible pieces for their future. Vancouver gets a key piece for their playoff run. The future can make this trade look good or bad either way depending on quite a few factors, but looking at it right now, everyone gets what they want

Lindholm needs to be carried by 2 star linemates, not just one. Otherwise, he is a 40-50 pt scorers

Also he disappeared in the playoffs when people pay attention.

Still he is the best rental available

 

[Double Dion]

the Avs don’t have a Brzustewicz level (B++) guy to offer. Our best prospects are quite a bit higher caliber. And we don’t have the upper middle good ones like him. After Gilyayev (who is thriving in the KHL), ours fall off more significantly to the next one (Behrens and Olausson).

kuzmenko is also more valuable than RyJo. Vancouver simply put a much better package together. You paid the full asking price required by Calgary. Congrats on your new 2C rental.

​

I think Cal Ritchie is just as good a prospect as Brzustewicz. His defensive game isn't there yet, but I think he can develop it. He skates well and competes.

Kuzmenko immediately becomes the Flames biggest scoring threat. I’d even say he has the best hands on the team. Would like to see what he can do on the top line and #1PP unit. Flames lacked a pure goal scorer and now they got one. Hes going to be given every opportunity to produce offensively.

Toss up between him and Sharangovich. How sad is that? Our 2 biggest scoring threats were healthy scratches for their former teams.

 

[McJedi]

I think Cal Ritchie is just as good a prospect as Brzustewicz. His defensive game isn't there yet, but I think he can develop it. He skates well and competes.


Toss up between him and Sharangovich. How sad is that? Our 2 biggest scoring threats were healthy scratches for their former teams.

Ritchie is quite a bit better a prospect than Hunter Brzustewicz. Ritchie PKs and has been dominating at 5 vs 5. Avs must be thrilled with his post draft progression. He’s been better than expected. Today, Ritchie is a A prospect. So is Gulyayev. Then our farm falls off bigly.

 

[Djp]

end of Kuz, Brz and s 1st threads…..

 

[biturbo19]

We drafted Adam Fox in the 3rd round.


Valimaki was never any good. He's still not any good. It was just a bad pick followed by injuries.

Part of the reason the Flames got Fox in the 3rd round in the first place, was because guys going to Harvard carry an inherent flight risk that scares teams off. Which turned out to have a lot of merit in that case.

As for Valimaki, he's absolutely a serviceable defenceman now. He was tracking to be more before injuries derailed his development...but the Flames definitely bungled his recovery and didn't seem to have a good development plan for getting him back on course. Which led to them ultimately losing him for nothing.

 

[Double Dion]

Ritchie is quite a bit better prospect than Hunter Brzustewicz.

If you think that why did you post that the Avs don't have that caliber of prospect? I think of them as similar.

 

[McJedi]

If you think that why did you post that the Avs don't have that caliber of prospect? I think of them as similar.

reread what I said. I said the Avs top prospects are quite a bit better than Hunter Brzustewicz.

but we have no B++ ones like Hunter Brzustewicz. We have two great prospects and little after that.

ritchie is blowing the OHL to pieces as a big Center that skates great and competes 200 feet. Excellent 5 v 5 production. He’s on their PK 1.

that’s an ideal future 2C.

Kuzmenko destroyed the Avs last season. He’s a decent player. Very shifty. He’s a nice throw in. Flames did well in this trade.

 

[MS]

If you think that why did you post that the Avs don't have that caliber of prospect? I think of them as similar.

Brz is basically Rory Kerins in 2022. Superficially it’s WOW LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS but when you watch him play … there are a lot of warts and question marks there. And I’ve said repeatedly that I wasn’t getting excited about Brz until I saw how he adapted to the AHL.

 

[HairyKneel]

Mentally checked out. He will be fine in Vancouver.

if possible can you speak about his compete level? I always thought he had enough sandpaper to show up when it matters. He’s 6 ft 1 , 200 and RH and can also play the wing. Can he kill penalties? Seems like a decent human. Gives the Canucks insulation if something goes south with Peter but I doubt that happens. He will like the Swede culture here.

Funny this another big deal between these teams. Get decent GM’s looking out for their teams and it’s a win win for both clubs. You handed us Rhino back in the day. Still the best series ever was 1994 vs Flameq. They murdered each other. It was pure evil.

As an asside reading the Oilers sub forum it says we got a butter soft scrawny noodle. But ……. sweatpants and skullets rule the roost there.

Calgary did ok and got a high end prospect, a late 1st and my guy Andrei. Light him up and he gets you another 1st next year, or just keep him.

Salut

 

[biturbo19]

the Avs don’t have a Brzustewicz level (B++) guy to offer. Our best prospects are quite a bit higher caliber. And we don’t have the upper middle good ones like him. After Gulyayev (who is thriving in the KHL), ours fall off more significantly to the next one (Behrens and Olausson).

kuzmenko is also more valuable than RyJo. Vancouver simply put a much better package together. You paid the full asking price required by Calgary. Congrats on your new 2C rental.

​

I'd put Gulyayev in very much the same bracket as Brzustewicz. I like the Avs guy better personally, because of the superlative skating ability that is often very critical for smaller offensive D. But there's also the whole "Russian factor" that can vary from team to team in how the assess that. Overall pretty similar-ish "B Prospects" though.

But yeah...Kuzmenko is a far better "cap offset" bet than Johansen who looks completely cooked. That's just a straight up cap dump, whereas Kuzmenko could re-find his game and actually net the Flames either a useful player for their retool, or an additional decent asset somewhere down the line. That's definitely a factor.

Ritchie is quite a bit better prospect than Hunter Brzustewicz. Ritchie PKs and has been dominating at 5 vs 5. Avs must be thrilled with his post draft progression. He’s been better than expected.

Yeah. I'd take Calum Ritchie over Brzustewicz easily. But i also had Ritchie as a Top-15 Prospect in the draft, so i've been a lot higher on him than most to begin with. The Flames also potentially valued a D Prospect over a Forward, based on their current pool.

But yeah...Ritchie would've had to be the piece to "beat out" the Canucks offer. And i don't think the Avs were willing to go there.

Alvin also jumped to the head of the queue by making the move right now rather than wanting to wait 'til the deadline. Once it became clear Lindholm wasn't staying in Calgary...he became an asset that was burning a hole in their pocket. You never know what can happen, and it can be worth something in peace of mind to just get a good return you're happy with right now, so it's all squared away and you don't have to worry about something stupid happening and Lindholm getting injured or slumping or anything that might scuttle the return entirely, leaving you with nothing.

 

[DL44]

Lindholm will likely play on Petterssons wing though it would be really tempting to go with a 1-2-3 punch of Pettersson, Miller and Lindholm down the middle.

I can see him scoring 45-50 goals if him and Elias click. If Kuzmenko can score 39 on Petterssons wing, then Lindholm can too. Lindholm likely has to take a pay cut this summer if he wants to resign in Van with the Pettersson resigning on the forefront

Im picturing a more gradual introduction 5on5.

Would love to see him simply slide into Kuzmenko's line to see how that changes THAT line's fortunes, effects the teams ability to roll lines....

Keep these in tact:
EP40 - JTM9 - BB6
DJ81 - TB53 - CG8

Then you have flexibility to really solidify all four lines:

NH21- Lindholm - IM65
PDG34/NA88 - PS24 - SL18

Lots of flexibility and versatility and options with these players.
The dude I have as 4th line center scored a hat trick a couple games ago.

 

[Double Dion]

reread what I said. I said the Avs top prospects are quite a bit better than Hunter Brzustewicz.

but we have no B++ ones like Hunter Brzustewicz. We have two great prospects and little after that.

ritchie is blowing the OHL to pieces as a big Center that skates great and competes 200 feet. Excellent 5 v 5 production. He’s on their PK 1.

that’s an ideal future 2C.

Kuzmenko destroyed the Avs last season. He’s a decent player. Very shifty. He’s a nice throw in. Flames did well in this trade.

Did you look at what Brzustewicz is doing as a defenseman in the same league at the same age? I like both players. It would be a flip of a coin for me.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

I think Cal Ritchie is just as good a prospect as Brzustewicz. His defensive game isn't there yet, but I think he can develop it. He skates well and competes.


Toss up between him and Sharangovich. How sad is that? Our 2 biggest scoring threats were healthy scratches for their former teams.

I think Kuzmenko can rebound in Calgary. With his talent, there’s no reason he can’t be scoring at least 30 goals every year. Kadri is the #1C now, something tells me we see Huberdeau - Kadri - Kuzmenko together right away.

 

[InfinityIggy]

if possible can you speak about his compete level? I always thought he had enough sandpaper to show up when it matters. He’s 6 ft 1 , 200 and RH and can also play the wing. Can he kill penalties? Seems like a decent human. Gives the Canucks insulation if something goes south with Peter but I doubt that happens. He will like the Swede culture here.

Funny this another big deal between these teams. Get decent HM’s looking out for their teams and it’s a win win for both clubs. You handed us Rhino back in the day. Still the series ever was 1994 vs Flmaes. They murdered each other. It was pure evil.

As an asside reading the Oilers sub forum it says we got a butter soft scrawny noodle. But ……. sweatpants and skullets rule the roost there.

Calgary did ok and got a high end prospect, a late 1st and my guy Andrei. Light him up and he gets you another 1st next year, or just keep him.

Salut

I wouldn’t go so far as to call him gritty but he is an extremely capable PKer. When him and Backlund are out together on the PK they are always rock solid. People look at his offensive numbers recently and are underwhelmed but overlook just how capable he is away from the puck.

He isn’t soft either though, he’s the kind of guy where if the team is in the battle so ishe. I think he checked out here because of the state of the team and knowing they would need to move him.

Canucks have a chance to win a cup and importantly he will be playing with offensively capable wingers which is when he thrives most.

Vancouver is a perfect landing spot for him based on the composition of their existing top 6. Hes going be be discount Bergeron for you.

 

[McJedi]

I'd put Gulyayev in very much the same bracket as Brzustewicz. I like the Avs guy better personally, because of the superlative skating ability that is often very critical for smaller offensive D. But there's also the whole "Russian factor" that can vary from team to team in how the assess that. Overall pretty similar-ish "B Prospects" though.

But yeah...Kuzmenko is a far better "cap offset" bet than Johansen who looks completely cooked. That's just a straight up cap dump, whereas Kuzmenko could re-find his game and actually net the Flames either a useful player for their retool, or an additional decent asset somewhere down the line. That's definitely a factor.



Yeah. I'd take Calum Ritchie over Brzustewicz easily. But i also had Ritchie as a Top-15 Prospect in the draft, so i've been a lot higher on him than most to begin with. The Flames also potentially valued a D Prospect over a Forward, based on their current pool.

But yeah...Ritchie would've had to be the piece to "beat out" the Canucks offer. And i don't think the Avs were willing to go there.

Alvin also jumped to the head of the queue by making the move right now rather than wanting to wait 'til the deadline. Once it became clear Lindholm wasn't staying in Calgary...he became an asset that was burning a hole in their pocket. You never know what can happen, and it can be worth something in peace of mind to just get a good return you're happy with right now, so it's all squared away and you don't have to worry about something stupid happening and Lindholm getting injured or slumping or anything that might scuttle the return entirely, leaving you with nothing.

Gulyayev started the KHL season as a number 7 Dman. He is playing the number 3 D guy for his team now, scored a goal today too. His roster progression is insanely good. His team is the number 1 team in the Eastern conference and his coach plays him in a big role. hes vastly outplaying his draft status and both Russian Dmen taken in the top 12 picks of 2023 draft.

the KHL is a far higher level than the WHL. That’s a men’s league. Not boys.

Gulyayev also plays a defensive role for his KHL team. He’s a better defensive defender than offensive. same as Byram, who is better defensively than offensively.

he’s a much better prospect than Hunter Brzustewicz. He’s every bit as good as Ritchie.

 

[Double Dion]

Brz is basically Rory Kerins in 2022. Superficially it’s WOW LOOK AT THOSE NUMBERS but when you watch him play … there are a lot of warts and question marks there. And I’ve said repeatedly that I wasn’t getting excited about Brz until I saw how he adapted to the AHL.

It's his defensive game I like the most. I've compared him to Tanev numerous times. I don't think he scores more than 40 points at the NHL level in his career.

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

Really wanted Lindholm in Vancouver. This was a huge loss though considering. But that's expected considering Lindholm is probably the top guy on the market and likely competing with 5 other teams to try to grab him.

Wish we got Tanev back in this deal though. I would have thrown in a 2nd to get him as well.