I agree but also think that narrative would be more persuasive with the CNN/MSDNC crowd if Trump were forced to pardon/commute before the election. Maybe that will not happen, because maybe Flynn will not be sentenced before the election. After the election, they could try to impeach Trump again, but I doubt that would result in a senate conviction.
The Stone pardon happened well after Stone was sentenced, just before he was scheduled to report to the jailer.
If Flynn is charged with criminal contempt, he gets a trial for that. The trial alone would take a month, anyway, maybe half a year.
At any rate, the “Trump pardon” thing, if it’s to happen, is out there a good piece, well past the election.
The way I see it, the judiciary is trying to deny Trump a clear victory before November. When the narrative shifts to Mueller as the bad guy and Flynn as the good guy, that hurts the DEMs. The press is completely derelict, as usual, reporting on the case.