Evan’s NHL Daily: Former Avalanche Defenseman Moving Again? Wild Lindholm Proposal

Nikita Zadorov was dealt to the Vancouver Canucks back on Dec. 3, but could he be on the move again before the NHL Trade Deadline? I’m not sure how often something like that has happened before, but it’s apparently an option that’s been thrown around.

The big fish at the deadline this year is Elias Lindholm, but he’s not really playing like it. Some are under the impression that he is going to fetch a similar trade return to Bo Horvat, and a mock trade put together with the Avalanche drew some strong reactions.

All that and more in this Tuesday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

There are a handful of players on the Colorado Avalanche who have played in both conferences, and I talked to them about the difference in travel between the East and West.

How Travel Out West Is ‘Drastically Different’ Compared To The East

Coming a little later on Tuesday is the first Avalanche trade board ahead of the NHL Trade Deadline.

You can get a subscription to CHN+ for $29.99 a year with the code “evan10” and get access to the + content on every site in the network. In addition to the + content, everything will be ad-free, which is the biggest perk. The upcoming Zach Parise film room will be + content for all subscribers.

Zadorov On The Move Again?

It hasn’t even been two months since the Flames dealt Nikita Zadorov to the Canucks, but apparently there’s a chance he’s on the move again. On the Jeff Marek Show on Monday, Elliotte Friedman mentioned Zadorov’s name, and it threw me off a bit.

Don Taylor on Zadorov's name being in trade rumors:

"You're starting to hear the odd thing, I'm wonder how happy they are with him and I don't mean just on the ice. I'm wondering how he's meshing in that room…I'm not so sure there's a mesh there right now…"

Canucks Central

— Taj (@taj1944) January 30, 2024

I’d be pretty surprised if this happened. It’s rare to see a guy get dealt twice in the same season. Vancouver targeted him for a reason, and they’ll need a guy like him in the playoffs. The only possible explanation I can think of is that they briefly talked extension and didn’t like the numbers, but even then, they should be going for it this year with the run they’re on. Trading Zadorov, on paper, doesn’t make sense if you’re trying to win. I haven’t watched them much to see how he’s fit in there, but they won’t stop winning, so he must be fitting in just fine.

Lindholm Proposals

I’ll discuss it in my trade board later today, but people are using the Bo Horvat deal as a baseline for what Elias Lindholm could return. However, there’s a massive difference in how the two played in their UFA year. Horvat was having the best season of his life, while Lindholm has fallen back. I can’t see Calgary getting as much as the Canucks did prior to the NHL Trade Deadline, which is why the proposal The Athletic threw out involving the Avalanche is raising eyebrows.

They have the Avalanche sending their 2024 1st rounder, Calum Ritchie, and Logan O’Connor to Calgary for Lindholm. That’s essentially two 1st’s and a solid NHL player. Yeah, that’s a lot. Heck, O’Connor has more goals than Lindholm right now.

The proposals for the other five teams they looked at are similar. I understand the exercise in theory, but I can’t imagine the Flames get a return matching what was thrown out, at least not with all three pieces. An extension could change things.

I guess we’ll find out soon enough, because Lindholm is almost certainly getting dealt before March 8.

Worst UFA Signings

I shouldn’t give lists like this attention, because that’s what they want, but I couldn’t resist with this one.

After the top 10 best last year it’s time to look at the worst… pic.twitter.com/twyELmUmb6

— Mike Bartner (@MikeBartner) January 29, 2024

The Korpisalo deal does look brutal right now, and it didn’t even look great to begin with. It’s possible the Dmitri Orlov deal is worse, but that’s for less term.

However, Miles Wood? Why is he on this list? The term is still on people’s minds, but his play has been exactly what the Avalanche expected, and on top of that, he’s been really strong on the penalty kill. It’s impossible to tell how the contract will age in 5 years, but as of right now, there’s no way that deal deserves to be on a list like this.

National Hockey Now

Oh, the KHL. Matvei Michkov was benched after a tough outing defensively.

Some potential partners prior to the NHL Trade Deadline for the Montreal Canadiens.

Why Sidney Crosby shouldn’t be an NHL All-Star…huh? (+)