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Vancouver Canucks working hard to secure Elias Lindholm before free agency

Vancouver's forward Elias Lindholm is approaching free agency on July 1st. The Canucks are making efforts to prevent him from entering the open market.

According to a report by Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman, on Friday the Canucks management has reportedly extended an offer to Lindholm to retain him within their roster. This information was shared during the 32 Thoughts podcast with Jeff Marek;

«A couple of weeks ago on the pod, during the playoffs, we talked about the recruiting efforts from the Canucks players were pretty intense. �You gotta stay, you gotta stay, you gotta find a way to stay.' I still think that's going on,» Friedman speculated. «This is my guess: I think the Canucks are willing to go in the 7�7 range; I'm just not sure it's going to get it done. I think the Canucks want this player.»

Lindholm's journey in Vancouver has been a mix of challenges and opportunities ever since he was acquired from the Calgary Flames, in exchange for Vancouvers 2024 fourth round pick Andrei Kuzmenko, as well as defensive prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo. There were discussions, about the possibility of Lindholm being traded before the March 8 deadline. He ultimately remained in Vancouver.

The Canucks are also facing decisions regarding pending free agent, defenseman Nikita Zadorov, when it comes to contract negotiations. With rumors suggesting that the Russian defenseman is aiming for a contract up to $6 million per season over five or six years, it appears that Vancouver might struggle financially if they proceed with the reported offer for Lindholm.

«I see those three guys as flexible players; you can move them around. You can play [Elias] Pettersson, [JT] Miller, Lindholm all down the middle. But you can move them to the wing; you can move them around,» Friedman said. «Look how good Vancouver looked with those three guys in their lineup. If I have to stretch my dollars a little bit to keep those three guys in my lineup, I'll do it.»

«I don't want to speak for Lindholm, but I heard as tough as it started in Vancouver, I heard he really liked it there,» Friedman added.

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8 JUIN \| 170 ANSWERS Vancouver Canucks working hard to secure Elias Lindholm before free agency Should the Vancouver Canucks make efforts to retain Elias Lindholm before he becomes a free agent on July 1st?
Yes	126	74.1 %
No	44	25.9 %
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