I'll admit I sometimes miss the nuances on certain players, so as a Flames fan I found myself over time just accepting announcers and popular hockey journalists opinion on Elias; which was: that he was a defensively reliable yet offensively capable centreman who should (in a perfect world) be in Selke conversations year-in and year-out. A player who sort of flew under the radar after names like Bergeron. Having said that, without a doubt, Lindholm was indeed part of the Gaudreah/Monahan/Lindholm line that was one of the top lines in the league for a number of years (likely peaking in the months prior to the 2019/20 AS break).
So, when Monahan left and then Gaudreau and Tkachuk, it wasn't that surprising to me that without top calibre linemates (particularly Gaudreau IMO) Lindholm's numbers and coinciding stock started to drop.
I wondered how the new addition to Vancouver would affect the torid pace and chemistry the top players were on (and team as a whole). Initially it looked good at least with Elias L posting multi-point games. But now (as is the potential when moves like these are made), Vancouver is reeling having lost 6 of their last 7 and seeming as if they're trying to re-find themselves, particularly Elias Pettersson, and even Hughes on the back-end.
In Calgary I feel good about the return GM Conroy acquired for a player we were unlikely to retain. If we don't make the playoffs (still a bit of a stretch despite our 4 game-winstreak), I'll likely be lending my support to the Canadian team west of us that has shown to be tremendously exciting "when on their game." I'm just curious if Vancouver stumbles into the playoffs with this bolstered lineup, and if the Lindholm addition isnt the bolstering it was supposed to be.
So, when Monahan left and then Gaudreau and Tkachuk, it wasn't that surprising to me that without top calibre linemates (particularly Gaudreau IMO) Lindholm's numbers and coinciding stock started to drop.
I wondered how the new addition to Vancouver would affect the torid pace and chemistry the top players were on (and team as a whole). Initially it looked good at least with Elias L posting multi-point games. But now (as is the potential when moves like these are made), Vancouver is reeling having lost 6 of their last 7 and seeming as if they're trying to re-find themselves, particularly Elias Pettersson, and even Hughes on the back-end.
In Calgary I feel good about the return GM Conroy acquired for a player we were unlikely to retain. If we don't make the playoffs (still a bit of a stretch despite our 4 game-winstreak), I'll likely be lending my support to the Canadian team west of us that has shown to be tremendously exciting "when on their game." I'm just curious if Vancouver stumbles into the playoffs with this bolstered lineup, and if the Lindholm addition isnt the bolstering it was supposed to be.
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