Flames centre Elias Lindholm will be in spotlight at NHL All-Star Game

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Elias Lindholm is, by his personal admission, not a lot of an advance planner.

On this case, that saved some problem.

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Whereas Lindholm was stunned to attain an invitation to skate within the 2024 NHL all-star sport in Toronto, the Calgary Flames first-line centre had but to make alternate preparations for the bye week.

He wasn’t left scrambling to scrap flights and lodging or request a refund on a tropical trip bundle.

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“I’m a kind of guys that plans on the final second, so our plans have been sort of made however not booked,” he mentioned with a smile. “So all of it labored out.”

There’ll probably be some last-minute journey preparations in Lindholm’s close to future — he’s anticipated to be on the transfer previous to the March 8 commerce deadline — however the 29-year-old is that this week representing the Flames on the annual all-star shindig. The enjoyable begins with Thursday’s participant draft and wraps with Saturday’s three-on-three showdown.

“Because it sunk in a little bit bit, it’s only a huge honour,” Lindholm mentioned. “It will likely be cool, expertise. And my mother and pa are coming over, so it is going to be good for them, too.”

As a hockey-crazed child in Sweden, Lindholm would plead along with his mother and father to permit him to remain up previous his traditional bedtime to observe the NHL’s mid-season showcase.

“That was again within the days of (Markus) Naslund and (Daniel) Alfredsson and (Peter) Forsberg and (Mats) Sundin and all these guys,” he reminisced. “That was all the time particular, watching them and searching as much as them. You have been so younger, you couldn’t watch too many video games again then. However I attempted to observe the all-star sport every so often. So it’s fairly cool to be there and to play in a single.”

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The large query, after all, is the place Lindholm shall be after the commerce deadline. His unsure future — he’s within the last 12 months of his present contract and extension talks with the Flames have fizzled — shall be a sizzling matter in Toronto.

It would trigger fairly a stir if Lindholm is chosen by Nathan MacKinnon in Thursday’s all-star draft, since he’s rumoured to be a prime commerce goal for the Colorado Avalanche. MacKinnon might all the time blame his superstar co-captain Tate McRae, a Calgary-raised singer who was noticed in a Flames jersey when she attended a sport on the Saddledome in mid-December.

Lindholm snapped out of a 15-game scoring drought throughout Saturday’s 1-0 residence win over the Chicago Blackhawks, his first snipe in additional than a month.

His present stat line exhibits 9 targets and 23 assists in 49 appearances this season, which places him on tempo for his lowest level complete in any of his 5 full campaigns in Calgary.

That helps clarify why many within the C of Crimson have argued Blake Coleman or Nazem Kadri or MacKenzie Weegar would have been a extra worthy all-star rep — this choice was made by the NHL’s hockey ops division, not brass on the Saddledome — however Flames head coach Ryan Huska believes that Lindholm deserves to be spotlighted alongside the very best within the biz.

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“I believe individuals have a look at him and see participant, however they don’t see the nice participant that we see,” Huska mentioned. “He does every part rather well and we all know that, however some individuals across the league don’t see his offensive means. He has confirmed previously that he can play with high-end guys. He’s confirmed previously, and continues to show right this moment, that he can shut prime guys down. So we all know it, however I don’t assume all people appreciates the kind of participant that he’s.

“He performs probably the most minutes on our staff for forwards. After we’re killing a penalty, he’s the primary man over the boards. He’s the primary man over the boards on the ability play. And he performs towards prime traces each night time. Oftentimes, when individuals have a look at a participant, they’ll see a man like an Auston Matthews scoring all of the targets after which they’ll have a look at Elias and say, ‘Hey, he’s not even a point-a-game man.’ However he does so many extra issues than simply rating for our staff.”

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Which is why the Flames, if/when Lindholm is traded away, will actually miss him. It speaks volumes that this franchise most lately despatched a centre to the all-star sport again within the ’90s.

It’s additionally why so many could-be contenders shall be bidding for his companies. The Avalanche, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Vancouver Canucks, Vegas Golden Knights and Winnipeg Jets have all been linked to this dependable two-way kind and trusted faceoff man.

For the subsequent few days, Lindholm shall be representing the Flames in Toronto.

And the place will he be skating subsequent? What uniform will he be sporting on the finish of the season?

There’s no advance planning for that half.

wgilbertson@postmedia.com

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