Oh look at me I spelled consternation correctly on my first try, no spell check required. I still got it, baby!
Ok, so first off, the chatter: I've heard the 32 thoughts guy say stuff about Markstrom and about Hanifin, but not about Lindholm. I have seen Lindholm on a rumour from the Hockey Writers site, IIRC. If I was trying to read the Kremlin, that would imply to me that Markstrom and Hanafin are on the trade block but they have not put Lindholm on it as yet.
Which kinda perplexes me. Hanafin is the guy to keep just due to his age. Whether he is worth committing cap space to and the years to is a different question all together, but in a vacuum I'm keeping the 26 year old over the 29 year old. (Spoiler: Hanafin should be traded as well, and if God gives you a miracle and someone wants to trade for Markstrom, you do that too).
I have a sinking feeling they are talking themselves into giving Lindholm a contract.
(As an aside, it's super creepy when people call him Zebulon, isn't it? Like why do you know a players second middle name? And what makes you think you would have permission to use it? Like, peak internet weirdo shit if you ask me).
Anyway...the guy has played in the NHL for 10 seasons. Number of seasons with over 50 points: 3. Number of seasons with over 30 goals: 1. Number of seasons with over 50 assists: 1. Number of seasons with over 200 shots: 1.
My eyes tell me he is a real NHL forward who can play real NHL minutes, I'm not trying to say he isn't. What I am saying is I don't think he is a superstar, and I don't think the team should be committing big cap numbers and big term numbers to 29 year olds who are not superstars.
We already did that. His name is Jonathan Huberdeau. That's the bad contract we have on the books already. That slot is taken. We can't give another out. That is, we can't commit to another 30 year old at big cap dollars and big term unless the guy is a legit top 10 player in the league. And I'm not sure Lindholm is that.
Unless the guy has told the Flames he is willing to take a below market contract, I don't even know why extension talks are even happening. This has 'TRADE THIS GUY TO RESTOCK' written all over it.
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Cap space is precious, because it is finite. In a cap system, the most money the best player in the universe can make is capped. In the NHL you can make 20% of the cap. If the cap is 82 million, the most the best player in the universe could make is 16.4 million.
I think the highest contract in actuality currently is 12.6 (for Mackinnon). Puckpedia tells me that is 15% of the cap. McDavid is basically that as well.
Lindholm at 9 million is like 11% of the cap. How many Lindholm's would you have to trade to get a Mackinnon or a McDavid? Three of them?
Is it worth committing that much cap space, 11%, to a guy who I would need three of to trade for a guy who makes 15% of the cap?
Trade Lindholm for future assets, use the cap on short term contracts, and wait until you can trade for a star.
