For the third time this season, the Calgary Flames play the Vancouver Canucks, this time it’s a New Year’s Eve showdown.
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It’s not the first time the two teams have played in time for a Throwback Tuesday. Last time, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/throwback-tuesday-flames-canucks-post-season-history">we looked at the history of the Flames and Canucks in the post-season</a>, as the two teams always seem to have exciting series against one another.
In this article, we’ll look at the two trades the teams made last season between each other, one in late November and one on the final day of January.
<h2>The Nikita Zadorov trade</h2>
The smaller of the two trades saw the Flames trade defenceman Nikita Zadorov to the Canucks in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick. Of course, we’re a day away from 2025, so that third-round pick won’t be in play for over a year, but that fifth-round pick is fascinating.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
TRADE! The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> have acquired a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft from Vancouver in exchange for defenceman Nikita Zadorov: <a href="https://t.co/GVJDEIudyo">https://t.co/GVJDEIudyo</a> <a href="https://t.co/r2nZtRUsOg">pic.twitter.com/r2nZtRUsOg</a>
&mdash; Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1730361860904649150?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 30, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Although the Flames had a ton of draft picks in the 2024 draft, picking up great players like Henry Mews, Jacob Battaliga, and Luke Misa outside the first round, this pick wasn’t used by the Flames. Before the Mar. 8 trade deadline, it was moved to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Nikita Okhotiuk.
The Russian defenceman only played nine games with the Flames in 2023-24, picking up a lone assist with two minor penalties and a -2. In the summer, he signed with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, where he has two goals and seven points in 38 games. His National Hockey League rights remain with the Flames as they extended him a qualifying offer in late June.
As for that pick, the Sharks selected defenceman Colton Roberts from the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. This season, he has two goals and 16 points in 31 games after posting a career-high seven goals and 27 assists in 62 games last season. He’s teammates with the Flames’ fourth-round pick in 2023, Jaden Lipinski.
Zadorov, on the other hand, scored five goals and 14 points in 54 games with the Canucks, as they ended up finishing first in the Pacific Division in 2023-24. In the 2024 post-season, the hulking left-shot defenceman scored four goals and eight points in 13 games, as they fell to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.
At the start of free agency, Zadorov signed with the Boston Bruins, where he has two goals and nine points in 38 games.
<h2>The Elias Lindholm trade</h2>
Fast forward two months later, and the two teams linked up once again. This time, the Flames sent right-shot centre Elias Lindholm to the Canucks for fellow NHL forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defence prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
TRADE ALERT!
The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Flames?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Flames</a> have acquired Andrei Kuzmenko, a 2024 first round pick, Hunter Brzustewicz, Joni Jurmo and a conditional 2024 fourth round pick from the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Elias Lindholm: <a href="https://t.co/aGOGAdiJQ5">https://t.co/aGOGAdiJQ5</a> <a href="https://t.co/8mhmTnRWQx">pic.twitter.com/8mhmTnRWQx</a>
&mdash; Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) <a href="https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1752873057394610295?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Starting with Lindholm, he scored two goals in his first game with the Canucks, but struggled the rest of the regular season, potting a total of six goals and 12 points in 26 games. The Swedish centre had a successful postseason though, scoring five goals and 10 points. Like Zadorov, he signed with the Boston Bruins at the start of free agency, where he has six goals and 19 points in 38 games.
On the opposite side of the coin, Kuzmenko went off after joining the Flames, scoring 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games, beating his eight goals and 21 points in 43 games with the Canucks that season. Overall, the 2023-24 season was a step down from the year before for Kuzmenko, as he scored 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games in his first National Hockey League season.
Once again, he’s struggled in his second go around with a team, as he’s produced one goal and 10 points in 29 games, a far cry from those 39 goals in 2022-23. Kuzemenko has a cap hit of $5.5 million until the end of the season with a 12-team no-trade list. Depending on what happens before the trade deadline, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Flames traded him if they ended up selling.
The prospects and picks are quite interesting, however. Brzustewicz looks to be the best of the bunch, as he scored 13 goals and 92 points in 67 games last season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers. So far in the American Hockey League with the Calgary Wranglers, he has a goal and 10 points in 29 games.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
HIS FIRST AHL CAREER GOAL!!! <a href="https://t.co/8VoLdhd2kz">pic.twitter.com/8VoLdhd2kz</a>
&mdash; Calgary Wranglers (@AHLWranglers) <a href="https://twitter.com/AHLWranglers/status/1867047274200645987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2024</a></blockquote>
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He’s played with Jurmo this season, who has seven games played with the Wranglers where he’s been held pointless. Moreover, the 22-year-old Finnish left-shot defenceman has two goals and seven points in nine games this season with the East Coast Hockey League’s Rapid City Rush. He’s currently on the Wranglers roster.
The first overall pick the Flames received was used to select Matvei Gridin, a Russian winger who plays with the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Shawinigan Cataractes. He has 18 goals and 39 points in 31 games. Last season in the United States Hockey League, he scored 38 goals and 83 points in 60 games.
Lastly, the conditional fourth-round pick was traded on the second day of the draft for a 2024 fifth-round pick and the 2024 sixth-round pick, the last trade the Flames have made. The fifth-round pick was used to select Luke Misa of the Brampton Steelheads, who has 21 goals and 49 points in 33 games this season. With the sixth-round pick, the Flames selected left-shot defenceman Eric Jamieson, who has seven goals and 23 points in 34 games with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
He refuses to cool down 🔥 <a href="https://t.co/aBv0njDnay">pic.twitter.com/aBv0njDnay</a>
&mdash; Brampton Steelheads (@OHLSteelheads) <a href="https://twitter.com/OHLSteelheads/status/1869540057402777904?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 19, 2024</a></blockquote>
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It’s far too early to confirm that the Flames have won these two trades, but they’re in a prime position to do just that, especially the Lindholm trade. Brzustewicz looks like a gem, and who knows how the rest of the prospects will develop. As for Lindholm and Zadorov, all the Canucks got out of them was a trip to Game 7 of the second round before they departed for the Boston Bruins.
Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

For the third time this season, the Calgary Flames play the Vancouver Canucks, this time it’s a New Year’s Eve showdown.
<div class="bam-inline-promotion-block" data-max-length="2" data-placement-id="2109" data-context="web-content-promocard" data-property-id="328"></div>
It’s not the first time the two teams have played in time for a Throwback Tuesday. Last time, <a href="https://flamesnation.ca/news/throwback-tuesday-flames-canucks-post-season-history">we looked at the history of the Flames and Canucks in the post-season</a>, as the two teams always seem to have exciting series against one another.

In this article, we’ll look at the two trades the teams made last season between each other, one in late November and one on the final day of January.
<h2>The Nikita Zadorov trade</h2>
The smaller of the two trades saw the Flames trade defenceman Nikita Zadorov to the Canucks in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick and a 2026 third-round pick. Of course, we’re a day away from 2025, so that third-round pick won’t be in play for over a year, but that fifth-round pick is fascinating.

https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1730361860904649150

Although the Flames had a ton of draft picks in the 2024 draft, picking up great players like Henry Mews, Jacob Battaliga, and Luke Misa outside the first round, this pick wasn’t used by the Flames. Before the Mar. 8 trade deadline, it was moved to the San Jose Sharks for defenceman Nikita Okhotiuk.

The Russian defenceman only played nine games with the Flames in 2023-24, picking up a lone assist with two minor penalties and a -2. In the summer, he signed with CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League, where he has two goals and seven points in 38 games. His National Hockey League rights remain with the Flames as they extended him a qualifying offer in late June.

As for that pick, the Sharks selected defenceman Colton Roberts from the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League. This season, he has two goals and 16 points in 31 games after posting a career-high seven goals and 27 assists in 62 games last season. He’s teammates with the Flames’ fourth-round pick in 2023, Jaden Lipinski.

Zadorov, on the other hand, scored five goals and 14 points in 54 games with the Canucks, as they ended up finishing first in the Pacific Division in 2023-24. In the 2024 post-season, the hulking left-shot defenceman scored four goals and eight points in 13 games, as they fell to the Edmonton Oilers in seven games.

At the start of free agency, Zadorov signed with the Boston Bruins, where he has two goals and nine points in 38 games.
<h2>The Elias Lindholm trade</h2>
Fast forward two months later, and the two teams linked up once again. This time, the Flames sent right-shot centre Elias Lindholm to the Canucks for fellow NHL forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defence prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a first-round pick in the 2024 draft, and a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft.

https://twitter.com/NHLFlames/status/1752873057394610295

Starting with Lindholm, he scored two goals in his first game with the Canucks, but struggled the rest of the regular season, potting a total of six goals and 12 points in 26 games. The Swedish centre had a successful postseason though, scoring five goals and 10 points. Like Zadorov, he signed with the Boston Bruins at the start of free agency, where he has six goals and 19 points in 38 games.

On the opposite side of the coin, Kuzmenko went off after joining the Flames, scoring 14 goals and 25 points in 29 games, beating his eight goals and 21 points in 43 games with the Canucks that season. Overall, the 2023-24 season was a step down from the year before for Kuzmenko, as he scored 39 goals and 74 points in 81 games in his first National Hockey League season.

Once again, he’s struggled in his second go around with a team, as he’s produced one goal and 10 points in 29 games, a far cry from those 39 goals in 2022-23. Kuzemenko has a cap hit of $5.5 million until the end of the season with a 12-team no-trade list. Depending on what happens before the trade deadline, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Flames traded him if they ended up selling.

The prospects and picks are quite interesting, however. Brzustewicz looks to be the best of the bunch, as he scored 13 goals and 92 points in 67 games last season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers. So far in the American Hockey League with the Calgary Wranglers, he has a goal and 10 points in 29 games.

https://twitter.com/AHLWranglers/status/1867047274200645987

He’s played with Jurmo this season, who has seven games played with the Wranglers where he’s been held pointless. Moreover, the 22-year-old Finnish left-shot defenceman has two goals and seven points in nine games this season with the East Coast Hockey League’s Rapid City Rush. He’s currently on the Wranglers roster.

The first overall pick the Flames received was used to select Matvei Gridin, a Russian winger who plays with the Québec Maritimes Junior Hockey League’s Shawinigan Cataractes. He has 18 goals and 39 points in 31 games. Last season in the United States Hockey League, he scored 38 goals and 83 points in 60 games.

Lastly, the conditional fourth-round pick was traded on the second day of the draft for a 2024 fifth-round pick and the 2024 sixth-round pick, the last trade the Flames have made. The fifth-round pick was used to select Luke Misa of the Brampton Steelheads, who has 21 goals and 49 points in 33 games this season. With the sixth-round pick, the Flames selected left-shot defenceman Eric Jamieson, who has seven goals and 23 points in 34 games with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips.

https://twitter.com/OHLSteelheads/status/1869540057402777904

It’s far too early to confirm that the Flames have won these two trades, but they’re in a prime position to do just that, especially the Lindholm trade. Brzustewicz looks like a gem, and who knows how the rest of the prospects will develop. As for Lindholm and Zadorov, all the Canucks got out of them was a trip to Game 7 of the second round before they departed for the Boston Bruins.

Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Bluesky @ryleydelaney.bsky.social.

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