[Rumour] Chris Johnston: Lindholm is interested in staying

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

When John and Mattew left it was over. Whatever aspirations this group had were extinguished. You can't replace them through trade and free agent signings, and even with them we were having a hard time winning in the post season.

Even if Huby and Kadri rebound its obvious that they don't compliment the rest of the group nearly as well as their predecessors.

They need to swallow that pill of intellectual honesty and do what must be done.

[Strange Brew]

Reading the Flames saying money is no object with regards to signing Lindholm sure worries me. Hopefully that’s a mischaracterization of their negotiating posture.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by Bonded

I 100% agree but the Flames management does not. Ideally they still trade Hanifin and Toffoli for futures if Lindholm drags out. My worry is they wait for him to make a decision before doing anything

My worry is that they decide to keep Lindholm for a fortune and decide to trade the rest of them for 'experienced talent' to keep a non-competitive team 'competitive.'

As opposed to trading those guys for picks, prospects and futures and really digging their hands into the muck.

"We'd still have Lindholm, Huberdeau and Kadri tho!!"

Yeah. That strategy is not getting you anywhere other than where we already are. Just outside the playoffs drafting in mediocrity.

[sureLoss]

There is risk on Lindholm's part. If the Flames don't trade him and he has a subpar year he loses leverage to get a big payday this time next year.

[Toonage]

To me saying you really want the player, and moving him before being turned down, that drives up the price for a trade. Saying money is no object and having that player turn it down? Feels like that could scare some teams off.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Reminds me of a desperate guy trying to save a marriage while his partner has already filed for the papers.

No, this isn't what this group anticipated when they were hired/promoted. The coach in particular. But this is the reality of the situation. There's no going back after your players express that they've moved on.

Even if you sweeten the pot for Elias and he reluctantly signs on the dotted line solely to cash in (do we really want that?), you're still losing your supporting cast in Toffoli, Backlund and Hanifin. How are you set up to do anything soon?

You're looking at Winnipeg Jets-esque years of 2 home playoff games as your absolute ceiling.

And with all due respect, #### that.

[jg13]

I really don't understand the logic of keeping Lindholm but ready to sell Toffoli, Hanifin and possibly one of Backlund / Zadorov / Tanev.

The franchise finally has a perfect situation to tear this thing down the right way and it appears they're ready to goof it up. Unbelievable.

[FanIn80]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

There is risk on Lindholm's part. If the Flames don't trade him and he has a subpar year he loses leverage to get a big payday this time next year.

He's already coming off a subpar year but it hasn't seemed to dampen the market.

Or I guess people are understanding that the entire team was subpar this past season, and are assuming we (and he) bounce back... so if he has back-to-back subpar years, then that assumption goes out the window?

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

He's already coming off a subpar year but it hasn't seemed to dampen the market.

Or I guess people are understanding that the entire team was subpar this past season, and are assuming we (and he) bounce back... so if he has back-to-back subpar years, then that assumption goes out the window?

Very easy to point at the mess the Flames were last season. Too bad seasons in a row is much harder to explain away.

[JTech780]

If Conroy isn’t getting the offers he wants, then you may as well put it out there that you are still trying to work out a deal and that there is no timeline. Put pressure on the other GM’s to up their offers if they really want him.

[dustygoon]

So much for sign and trade to maximize trade value and include a 2023 1st.

No decision and he stays means Lindholm risks having a bad year.

Dumb all the way around.

[Manhattanboy]

Whatever Connie thinks Brad would do, he should do the opposite.

Like George Costanza.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by jg13

I really don't understand the logic of keeping Lindholm but ready to sell Toffoli, Hanifin and possibly one of Backlund / Zadorov / Tanev.

The franchise finally has a perfect situation to tear this thing down the right way and it appears they're ready to goof it up. Unbelievable.

Lindholm also showed this year that he was clearly the weakest member of that elite 1st line, and not the straw that stirred the drink.

Toffoli out produced him and arguably was more impactful when it mattered.

Emptying the vaults for this guy? Doesn't seem like a solution at all. He hardly stuck out on that abysmal team.

Let a team overpay and unload their futures. Without question the best value you'll get from Lindholm for the team going forward.

If you're looking at a 2023 1st you're probably getting back a better NHLer and his prime years, and you probably get even more tacked on to that.

These geezers need to be forward thinking. Let the "get in" mantra go by the wayside just this once and see what happens.

[Muffins]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

So much for sign and trade to maximize trade value and include a 2023 1st.

No decision and he stays means Lindholm risks having a bad year.

Dumb all the way around.

They couldn't do a sign and trade for a 2023 1st even if they wanted to.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Muffins

They couldn't do a sign and trade for a 2023 1st even if they wanted to.

Technically no but in reality they can.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

So much for sign and trade to maximize trade value and include a 2023 1st.

No decision and he stays means Lindholm risks having a bad year.

Dumb all the way around.

But, that was never an option since Lindholm cannot even sign a contract until after the Draft.

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[Rising_Oil_Prices]

Best case scenario… you guys trade the 4… then huby, Markstrom, and Kadri go on to have comeback seasons this year, and the flames finish 9th in west again. Everyone is choked at Conroy for trading Tofolli and Lindholm. Conroy says he read the we stand behind a rebuild thread. TrentCrimeIndependent is so ashamed he changes his name to djs Independent thinking nobody will notice.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Technically no but in reality they can.

I seriously doubt it. How would that even work?

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[Boreal]

Originally Posted by Rising_Oil_Prices

Best case scenario… you guys trade the 4… then huby, Markstrom, and Kadri go on to have comeback seasons this year, and the flames finish 9th in west again. Everyone is choked at Conroy for trading Tofolli and Lindholm. Conroy says he read the we stand behind a rebuild thread. TrentCrimeIndependent is so ashamed he changes his name to djs Independent thinking nobody will notice.

Or we could be a pathetically flawed franchise for the better part of 3 decades constantly looking for a shortcut.

Then, when we actually get one, maybe two shortcuts, we squander them because of an inability to manage a budget, competently develop prospect resources, and avoid listening to a fanbase in a dumpster of a city who literally have nothing to do besides follow that same pathetically flawed franchise.

I mean, nothing to do besides broadcasting their insecurities on other franchises message boards.

[Ferarri]

I don’t understand what the Flames are trying to do even if they successfully sign Lindholm. If they want to compete this team is not one piece away from being cup favourites. They need to fill a lot of holes and as we all know the age range of the “top” players is starting to get into that negative equity bracket. Sure, if this team had all the pieces for one final push before the window closes then re-signing him would make sense on some level but we are not even in the conversation of being a threat to take out other top teams in the west.

I guess the belief (if all these rumours are true) is that they are married to the philosophy of “just get in and anything can happen.” This formula of winning is so short sighted and really frustrating as a fan. You would hope this group would think of moving pieces and getting younger regardless of if the players forced their hand. The fact that they are meeting with Lindholm’s agent and Backlund for one final push seems desperate.

I’m hopeful that some of this chatter is a distraction to what they really want to do and maybe they are trying to drive up prices but the easy solutions and obvious choices seem to be very hard for this team for many years now. I guess we wait and see.