Things are about to get very interesting for Lindholm, Hanifin, Flames

CALGARY – Things are about to start moving very quickly for the Calgary Flames.

Already leading the league in off-season press conferences, the club might soon be hosting a few more significant buffet briefings.

Within the next two-and-a-half weeks, GM Craig Conroy will stand in front of a podium to announce a trade or an extension involving Elias Lindholm and Noah Hanifin.

Flames fans would be wise to brace for the worst, as both are contemplating following the well-worn path in search of greener pastures paved of late by Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk and Brad Treliving.

News on Mikael Backlund’s future could also be clarified before July 1, as he joins Lindholm and Hanifin in a group of seven Flames one year away from being able to walk into unrestricted free agency.

Decisions on their futures represent the first big test for the team’s new GM, who made it clear at his introductory presser that given the importance of asset management, he wouldn’t allow another Gaudreau-like loss without returns.

If unable to come to terms on extensions for some of their biggest assets, Conroy will have no choice but to go the trade route taken with Tkachuk last summer.

It was less than encouraging for Flames fans to hear from Conroy on Monday that Lindholm was a “work in progress,” meaning plenty of convincing is still needed for the Flames' best player to commit long-term to an organization at a competitive disadvantage given the climate, arduous travel, the absence of tax advantages or a world-class rink.

He clearly had one foot out the door at his season-ending media availability, when he was noncommittal, at best, when asked about the possibility of extending his stay in Calgary.

Granted, there have been several significant developments since then, as a new arena is now three to four years away from being built, and the notoriously-unpleasant-to-play-for Darryl Sutter was replaced by player-friendly coach Ryan Huska.

Glimmers of hope.

“I hope having me here adds to him wanting to come back and sign something long-term,” said Huska, the former assistant coach who deems his chats with Lindholm as being very positive.

“He’s a special player and he’s an important player, and one that I would love to have for however long we can.

“I am comfortable with Elias and I think he knows how I feel about him.

“I’ve had a good relationship with Elias, probably because we work together on the penalty kill.

“We’re good in terms of where I feel I can go with him.”

Huska has worked very closely with Hanifin as the team’s defence coach, fostering a close relationship with the 26-year-old first-rounder.

“I am a real big believer in Noah – he’s one of the guys that I got to spend a lot of time with over the years,” said Huska.

“He’s kinda like Ras(mus Andersson) with me, where we have a good relationship.

“I would love to have an opportunity to work with him as well, so if there’s anything I can do to make sure he stays, I will do that.

“He knows how I feel about him.

“Now, it comes down to decisions.”

Clarity on the future of Tyler Toffoli, Chris Tanev, Oliver Kylington and Nikita Zadorov is also being sought less than two weeks away from the June 28-29 draft in Nashville, which represents the best place for teams to maximize returns on trades.

After that, options dwindle, as do potential returns.

And so, the Flames are busy offering contract extensions to several of the seven pending UFAs who make up a significant portion of the club’s core.

The reality is the Flames will have to border on overpaying Lindholm and Hanifin to give themselves a chance – much as they did when they inked Jonathan Huberdeau to his $84-million deal last summer.

Several models, including one by Evolving-Hockey, suggest Lindholm is in line for $8.7 million AAV over eight years.

Even at that price, the player still has to consider the very real possibility offers will be even higher on the open market next summer as the salary cap continues to grow.

Unless a player is hellbent on staying in town, it’s a tough sell to get highly sought-after players like Lindholm and Hanifin to sign one year early, especially in a market facing so many competitive disadvantages.

Yet, the Flames need an answer.

Now.

At some point, Conroy will have to determine which contract talks are futile, and set wheels in motion for trades.

In Lindholm’s case, the club could expect a haul even more significant than the Bo Horvat deadline deal that landed Vancouver a top-six forward, a sizable prospect and a conditional first-round pick.

The return for Hanifin would also be formidable, as the recent trade of Ivan Provorov demonstrated. Provorov, who was selected two spots behind Hanifin as the seventh pick in 2015, netted the Philadelphia Flyers goalie Cal Petersen, defenceman Sean Walker, defenceman Helge Grans and a second-round pick.

Widely respected and popular in the room, Huska and Conroy have done their part to sell the renewed energy and excitement their hirings bring to an organization that was in desperate need of a culture change.

“(The coach) definitely was a factor,” said Conroy, when asked about his talks with Lindholm.

“He wants to know who the coach was going to be, what type of coach, and how he sees the team being built going forward.

“It’s still a work in progress.

“Elias is a priority for us, and we’re going to get back to him and see how that moves forward."

Ultimately, the players’ decisions revolve around the big picture.

“Connie and (hockey president) Don (Maloney) and the management staff will do their very best to keep everybody, and I’m planning on working with them and they’re all here, because ideally that’s what I want,” said Huska.

“That’s the way I’m approaching it and the way I’m talking with them, and if it comes to be down the road that we have different people in the mix, or certain people out, then we have to readjust at that point.”

It wouldn’t be a summer in Calgary without readjustment.