Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy Signals He's Open For Business With Big Trade Weeks Ahead Of Deadline

Elias Lindholm is a Vancouver Canuck, Andrei Kuzmenko is a Flame, and that's just the start for Calgary as the NHL trade deadline approaches

Fresh off a frustrating home stand and five weeks ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Calgary Flames GM Craig Conroy didn’t hesitate in letting the hockey world know where he stands on the direction of his team. He made a statement by dealing Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday night.

Breaking up the monotony of the Flames’ week-long bye ahead of all-star weekend, Conroy clearly indicated he’s ready to deal.

Lindholm was one of the most coveted pieces available ahead of the trade deadline. The first domino to drop. Conroy and his Flames have a couple more with defencemen Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin also highly sought after on the trade market.

And while Lindholm is a great player who contributed to some of the most exciting times in recent Flames history making 40-goal memories with linemates Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, the return for the impending unrestricted free agent was everything Conroy wanted.

He got an exciting offensive roster player in Andrei Kuzmenko, who’s signed for one more season at $5.5 million and scored 39 goals as an NHL rookie last season, two prospects on defence (an area of weakness on the organizational depth chart) in Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, and a first round pick this spring, along with a conditional fourth-rounder that turns into a third if the 'Nucks made the conference final.

Not bad. And Conroy's not even close to done.

Kuzmenko should face less pressure to perform in Calgary than he did with the Canucks this year. He’s been a healthy scratch at times and hasn’t been able to recapture the rookie magic he had last year. He likely jumps right into the top powerplay on the right side with Jonathan Huberdeau. Although he’s a left-winger, Kuzmenko is a right-handed shooter who loves to score. We’ll see if he can find new success with someone like Huberdeau.

Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo were both third-round selections in the NHL draft, but while Jurmo is a longshot for the big league, Brzustewicz is intriguing. The 19-year-old is lighting it up in the Ontario Hockey League this season, leading the league in assists and sitting third in overall scoring. He’s a right-handed blueliner.

The big-bodied Jurmo is a lefty who could at least provide organizational depth for a Calgary Flames franchise that is likely about to lose another one or two players on the back end.

With Lindholm gone, expect teams looking for those needle-moving defencemen to come at the Flames with their best offers in the coming days.

Conroy signalled he’s open for business and not inclined to wait around.