I don’t know why you think Lindholm would ever consider that

Agreed. He might not get term and AAV on the same deal (probably still will) but he'll get one or the other for sure

He's having a very down year offensively. He considers if if he likes Van and want to compete. It's 1 million more than he makes now and carries him to 34/35. A one year deal anywhere is a risk. Just look at Klingberg.

A team will easily pay 7-8m for him long term. He is the top C on the market and we know how expensive they are

He's not JT Miller. He should not get paid like that.

Sure, he's the top C and if another team wants to massively overpay him so he can go lose in say, AZ, he can make that choice.

Personally I think being 30 and neve really being on a good team might be a factor. I also don't think PA or JR viewed him as purely a rental. I'm sure they will try to keep him, and I'm sure they think he'd be interested, before pulling the trigger on the trade.

You're right. He's not JT Miller. He's Matt Duchene before he went to Nashville. That was 8x7. In all honesty, I could see Lindholm getting any of 8x3/4, 7x6, or 6.5x8.

He's not Duchene. Duchene was a P/PG player going into that contract with 31 goals that year. Lindholm is way below in terms of production and won't get even 20 goals this year. 8 mil per season is Miller's deal. Lindholm will be below that unless another Nashville want to buy him out. I wouldn't go higher than 6.25, and definitely not for more than 6 years.

If he wants a massive payday, he'll leave. If he wants to compete for a cup, he might accept a decent offer to stay.