Standout forwards Andrei Kuzmenko and Elias Lindholm were swapped for each other late Wednesday night. Included with Kuzmenko and going to the Calgary Flames were highly-touted prospect Hunter Brzustewicz, Finnish prospect Joni Jurmo, and two draft picks. Kuzmenko had fallen out of favour with the Canucks due to his sophomore slump, and Lindholm was known to be on his way out of Calgary on an expiring deal.
Kuzmenko, 28, recorded 39 goals as a rookie last season but found himself with just 8 through 43 games this season and was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions.
Lindholm, 29, has topped out at 42 goals and 82 points back in 2021-2022, but only has 9 through 49 games this season. He was goalless in his past 13 games before scoring a goal against the Blackhawks on what would be his final game in a Flames uniform.
However, despite the lacklustre seasons, both big-name forwards not only scored in their debut with their respective teams, but they did so within the first period. For Kuzmenko, his first goal donning the C of Red came just over four minutes into the game against the Boston Bruins, being a sweet finish off of a well-placed Jonathan Huberdeau pass on the power-play. Lindholm swiftly deflected a precise Quinn Hughes shot through traffic in the dying minutes of the period.
