West Notes: Lindholm, Guttman, Zadina

The future of Elias Lindholm with the Flames has been one of the bigger discussion points of the summer.  Early on, it didn’t seem as if the 28-year-old was open to staying beyond the end of his contract which ends after the upcoming season but lately, that belief has softened.  Speaking with HockeySverige’s Ronnie Ronnkvist, the middleman indicated that he is indeed open to staying with Calgary but noted that there is a lot still to be agreed on for that to happen.  Lindholm carries a cap charge of $4.85MM for 2023-24 but could push for close to double that if he makes it to the open market next summer as one of the top two-way centers in the league.

More from the Western Conference:

• Blackhawks winger Cole Guttman told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times that he has fully recovered from the shoulder injury that ended his 2022-23 campaign prematurely. The 24-year-old injured the shoulder twice in the minors and then reaggravated it in mid-March with Chicago, resulting in him deciding to have surgery on it.  Guttman played in 15 games with the Blackhawks last season, picking up four goals and two assists and should at least be in the mix to break camp with the team next month.
• Speaking with NHL.com’s Tom Gulitti, Sharks winger Filip Zadina discussed the circumstances surrounding his departure from Detroit. After they couldn’t accommodate his trade request earlier this summer, Zadina took the odd step of agreeing to a mutual termination, resulting in him hitting free agency where he inked a one-year, $1.1MM deal with San Jose, a pay cut from what he would have made had he stayed with the Red Wings.  The 23-year-old felt that his frequent injuries led to things not working out.  Now fully healthy, he expects the fresh start will see him bounce back which would be great for the Sharks who can control Zadina’s rights through the 2026-27 season.