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The Vancouver Canucks have been without Elias Lindholm since March 24, and the Swede could remain out of the lineup for at least the next couple of weeks.
The 29-year-old might not be an option for the Canucks until the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs, according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman.
“Lindholm has been difficult to pin down. We knew that there was an issue that he was going to see someone for. I'm not surprised he's missing time,” Friedman said on the latest episode of the Donnie & Dhali podcast in Vancouver.
“I will say this: I heard a rumour that he might not play the rest of the regular season. But I've also had multiple people tell me that you shouldn't go with that. So what it says to me is that it's still kind of in flux and everybody's trying to figure out what the story is with him. I don't necessarily think there's a rush here, but as of the last time I looked into it at the beginning of this week, it was still an unknown.”
Canucks holding Elias Lindholm out?
Based on Friedman's comments, it looks like the Canucks could be playing it safe with Lindholm, especially with just six games left in the regular-season.
The two-way forward, who was acquired from the Calgary Flames earlier this season, seemed to sustain a wrist injury in a 4-2 win against his old team. He scored a goal in the contest, while playing 15:42. He hasn't seen the ice since.
“Sounds like wrist, hand area…probably wants to get into one, at least two games before they head into the postseason,” Canucks reporter Irfaan Gaffar speculated on the Sekeres and Price podcast on Thursday. “I do think Demko will play before Lindholm.”
The Canucks have gone 2-3 without Lindholm, losing to the Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights while beating the Anaheim Ducks and Arizona Coyotes to retain the top spot in the Pacific Division.
Now 47-21-8, Vancouver is just three points back in the President's Trophy race, and the same amount of points out of the No. 1 slot in the Western Conference.
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Canucks gearing up for playoffs, and Lindholm should be an option
Despite the discouraging ailment for Lindholm, there is belief in British Columbia that he will be able to return — at the latest — for the team's first postseason contest in four years.
The Canucks last advanced to the dance in 2020, knocking out the Minnesota Wild and defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues before bowing out to the Vegas Golden Knights in six games.
But as that run was in the bubble due to COVID, there hasn't been playoff hockey at Rogers Arena in Vancouver since 2015. That's when team legends Daniel and Henrik were still part of the roster.
Lindholm will be itching to get back onto the ice as soon as possible, especially as he's struggled since moving from Calgary to Vancouver. The former fifth overall pick and pending UFA has recorded just five goals and nine points in 22 games since the trade.
The most important thing is making sure Lindholm is 100 percent healthy before he returns to game action. Although his status for the final six regular-season contests is unknown, there doesn't seem to be too much concern for Game 1, Round 1 later this April.
