Change of heart for Elias Lindholm!

Speculation has surrounded Calgary Flames key players entering contract years, including Elias Lindholm, Noah Hanifin and Mikael Backlund all summer long. However, the Flames only made one trade this offseason, shipping winger Tyler Toffoli to the New Jersey Devils.

That’s because Lindholm is having a change of heart. Lindholm said Wednesday he’s looking to re-sign with the Flames, saying he’s made it clear that he is interested in staying in Calgary.

“I’ve been pretty clear, I’m willing to stay,” Lindholm said prior to playing in the Calgary Flames Celebrity Charity Golf Classic. “… We’ve got to work it out. Right now I’m focusing on the season and the rest will take care of itself.”

“I love it here,” Lindholm added. “I love Canada as a country and Calgary as a city. Ever since I’ve got here it’s been great, fans have been good, everyone’s treated me well, great teammates. So far so good.”

Flames general manager Craig Conroy is therefore focused on keeping Lindholm on his roster.

“He’s open to it. Now it’s just a negotiation. It never goes quite as quickly as everyone would like. We’re just in that process. The one good thing is these are all good guys, they’re all happy to be here, there’s no issues with that. That’s the one thing. They’re not saying, ‘Hey, I’m not coming to camp,’ or ‘I’m unhappy.’ With Elias, we’re working on a deal. That’s where it is. Can we get something worked out? That’s really the main focus right now.”

What about Hanifin? 

When it comes to Hanifin, there seems to be some hope as well. Conroy revealed how the door is not closed on the defenseman staying with the team long-term.

“He wants to see how it goes this year … He did indicate that he wasn’t going to re-sign in the summer. But that doesn’t mean he won’t ever re-sign.” Conroy said.

It could come down to the Flames’ performance this season and if they manage to clinch a playoff spot this time around. Calgary failed to advance past the second round since reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2004 and have only made the postseason in three of the past five years.

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