The Calgary Flames have made some good and some bad trades in recent years, but arguably one of their best was when they acquired Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for Dougie Hamilton, Michael Ferland and then college prospect Adam Fox. Since that point, Lindholm has been a consistent presence for this team, anchoring arguably the best line in hockey during the 2021-22 season alongside Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, and now, the team have a decision to make on Elias after losing his line mates last off-season.
In his five years with the Flames, Lindholm has played in 369 games, putting up 139 goals and 186 assists for 325 points, and while centre depth is something Calgary need to improve going forward, the idea of moving on from a genuine 1C in Lindholm has come up a lot recently in Flames circles.