Boston Acquires Hampus Lindholm

[Brewin Flames]

 

Trade: Ducks send Hampus Lindholm to Bruins

By Adam Gretz Mar 19, 2022, 6:11 PM EDT

 

Debora Robinson, Getty Images

 

 

The Boston Bruins are making a pretty significant upgrade to their defense before the NHL Trade Deadline on Monday afternoon.

Bruins trade for Hampus Lindholm; send a lot to the Ducks

The team is acquiring veteran defenseman Hampus Lindholm from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday evening. In exchange the Bruins are sending a lot of assets the Ducks’ way. The two teams haven’t confirmed the Lindholm trade yet, but reporters including Chris Johnston and Pierre LeBrun pass along these details.

 

Bruins receive: Hampus Lindholm (Ducks retain 50% of his salary)

 

Ducks receive: Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore, 2022 first-round pick, second-rounders in 2023 and 2024.

 

The Bruins had been mentioned in trade talks for both Lindholm and Arizona’s Jakob Chychrun in the weeks leading up to the deadline, and ended up getting the veteran Lindholm as a rental. He is a pending unrestricted free agent after this season.

 

 

He is not quite the same player he was when he was at his peak in Anaheim, but he is still a very good all around player that can contribute in all three zones. The Bruins have been one of the hotter teams in the league in recent weeks and are starting to look like a legitimate contender again in a very tough and competitive Eastern Conference.

 

Adding Lindholm helps them keep pace with the other Eastern Conference contenders that have already made additions in recent day (Florida with Ben Chiarot, Tampa Bay with Brandon Hagel, and the New York Rangers with Frank Vatrano).

 

Chychrun would have been intriguing as a long-term option next to Charlie McAvoy, but he also would have almost certainly carried a steeper price tag.

 

Boston could probably still use an upgrade at their second line center spot, but Lindholm is a strong starting point to help then make another Stanley Cup run, especially since Jeremy Swayman has helped solidify another key spot in goal.

Edited March 19, 2022 by Brewin Flames

[Brewin Flames]

Not thrilled about giving up a 1st rounder this year, but Moore was a spare part and Urho could not crack the lineup, plues they did not have a part with any prospects in the system suck as Lysell for Lohrei, so i'm ok with this.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

Seems like Boston did give up quite a bit for a rental player in Lindholm.

Granted, Hampus is as steady as they come back there, but if he plays well, I would think Boston looks into a re-sign to get the most out of this trade and have him along for future post season runs.

As with the TB deal where the Lightning also gave up quite a bit to acquire a specific player, if they win, it is worth it.....if not, it will sting quite a bit.

[Brewin Flames]

I was not aware he was a UFA ...

 

If Sweeney fails to resign him, it a huge swing and miss....

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

6 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

I was not aware he was a UFA ...

 

If Sweeney fails to resign him, it a huge swing and miss....

 

Yes, I would bet the Bruins already had in mind some sort of re-sign.... the numbers of course, will be interesting when that happens.
I seriously cannot fathom Boston trading away as much as they did for a mere rental they are gonna let walk at the end of the season.

He was costing Anaheim 5.2M cap hit (Bruins of course getting him now at a discount due to the salary retention on the Ducks' part), and he is still only 28.
Does that mean the Bruins will have to pony up something in the neighborhood of 6-7M to keep him on? And for how long? I would think 5-6 years max would be ideal given his age and the fact he does have a bit of a spotty health record.

If the B's can keep him around the 6M mark (maybe a 6.2 or 6.3) I'd call that a win, because anything more, and you are talking about SCORING offensive defenseman territory.
Lindholm is that classic "do a bit of everything" defender, solid, if unspectacular, reliable on coverage, will chip in some offense, but in that regard, probably isn't much more than a 25-30 pt guy.....not counting outlier seasons when he was younger that saw him get a bit more than that.

Minnesota's Jonas Brodin is VERY comparable to Hampus Lindholm in skillset, age, and reliability, and Brodin makes 6M AAV.

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

And there it is... Bruins re-sign Hampus Lindholm immediately.
8 years, 6.5M AAV, full NMC  for the first 5 years, modified NMC for the final three.
Per Capfriendly . com

A hair on the high side AAV, and for longer term than I would have thought, but again, the guy is just a steady, reliable defenseman and apparently the Bruins like him enough to trust he will be helpful for a few more post season runs.

[Brewin Flames]

Lindholm agrees to eight-year contract with Bruins one day after trade

Anaheim received Moore, Vaakanainen, three draft picks for defenseman

NHL.com @NHLdotcom

 

•  

 

 

Bruins acquire Hampus Lindholm

Bruins acquire Hampus Lindholm from the Ducks for a 2022 1st round pick, 2023 and 2024 2nd round picks, Urho Vaakanainen and John Moore

• 00:53 • March 19, 2022
• •  

Hampus Lindholm agreed to an eight-year, $52 million contract with the Boston Bruins on Sunday, one day after the defenseman was acquired in a trade with the Anaheim Ducks. The contract has an average annual value of $6.5 million.

 

Lindholm, 28, was in the final season of a six-year contract he signed with the Ducks on Oct. 27, 2016, and could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

 

"They already have a championship-caliber team," Lindholm said Sunday. "I think any team I come to is going to be a better team. … I definitely think anywhere I go, I know I'm going to make a difference. I'm super excited to come to Boston. I think it's a good fit for me.

 

"It's not easy to extend your career that long in a place that you haven't maybe lived. But for me, I go with my stomach feeling. The team itself, it's a great team and I think they always have -- Boston as city and as a team and as an organization -- they always have that winning mindset. They find ways to get in the mix and compete and that's something that I always want to be. I love playing in the playoffs."

 

Anaheim received defensemen John Moore and Urho Vaakanainen, a first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, a second-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft and a second-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

 

"I would be hard-pressed to think we were going to give away the assets, trade away the assets that we did without the belief that we could enter into an extension," Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said Sunday. "Obviously the timing is difficult. You have to have some trust that your group is going to find some common ground after the fact, but we were confident in doing our diligence that this would be a place that Hampus would be excited to play."

 

The Bruins also received defenseman Kodie Curran. The 32-year-old has not played in the NHL; he has scored 16 points (one goal, 15 assist) in 37 games with San Diego of the American Hockey League this season.

 

"We're a better team today," Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Sunday. "He has a legitimate top-four (defenseman) resume in the National Hockey League. He's playoff-tested. Still young. Left side, so he'll either play with (Charlie) McAvoy or (Brandon) Carlo and probably both, to be honest with you, down the stretch here. See what best works for us once we get to know him as a player.

 

"But like I said, a real good add for us. Any time of year you've got to pay the price for a good player. Vaak will get a chance now in Anaheim. He was practicing here, coming around. Johnny isn't practicing, but both good people we lose in the deal. But we gain a guy that's excited to come here. We exchanged some texts yesterday. I think he's ready to get here and get going. He won't be available tomorrow, but should be in the lineup Thursday."

 

 

 

Lindholm has scored 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 61 games this season, including four power-play points. Cassidy expects him to play in all situations.

 

"He moves the puck well," Cassidy said. "He's been a power-play guy in Anaheim. … But at the end of the day, still a first-pass, has some respectable offensive numbers. We'll see how he fits for us in that regard. … I think he's well over two minutes a game [on the penalty kill], so he's a good PK guy. He's going to be in there, helping us in that regard. So a lot of his strengths I think will translate to how the Bruins play as well, good defensive structure."

 

Selected by Anaheim in the first round (No. 6) of the 2012 NHL Draft, Lindholm has scored 222 points (57 goals, 165 assists) in 582 regular-season games and 21 points (four goals, 17 assists) in 21 Stanley Cup Playoff games.

 

"I'm a guy that wants to be known for making guys better out there," Lindholm said. "I think any guy I get to play with, I'm a guy that wants to be that kind of Swiss Army knife that you just fit into any role, that you can play anywhere, any minutes. That's something that's always been my strength and I value a lot as a D-man', to be the two-way defenseman that you can put anywhere, in any situation, to help the team win some hockey games. Coming to a team like Boston that's a bunch of winners and players that want to win, makes me even more excited to jump on board here."

 

The Ducks (27-26-11) are seven points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.

"Hampus has been a fixture with the Ducks for years, which we value and respect," Anaheim general manager Pat Verbeek said.

 

"That said, we are very pleased with our return. As I've stated since arriving in Anaheim (hired Feb. 3), our goal is to continue building a team that can compete for the Stanley Cup for the long haul. Adding players and assets that fit in the age group of our existing younger talent sets us up well for the future."

 

Moore, 31 has one assist in seven games this season and has not played since Jan. 12. He has one season remaining on a five-year contract he signed with the Bruins on July 1, 2018 and can become an unrestricted free agent after next season.

 

Selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the first round (No. 21) of the 2009 NHL Draft, Moore has scored 118 points (38 goals, 80 assists) in 544 regular-season games with the Bruins, Devils, Arizona Coyotes, New York Rangers and Blue Jackets, and four assists in 49 playoff games.

Vaakanainen, 23, has four assists in 15 games this season and six assists in 31 NHL games. He is in the final season of his entry-level contract and can become a restricted free agent after the season.

 

The Bruins (38-19-5) are fourth in the Atlantic Division, nine points behind the first-place Florida Panthers, and hold the first wild card into the playoffs from the Eastern Conference. Boston has won 11 of its past 14 games (11-2-1).

 

"Bringing a player of Hampus's [caliber] and the age and where he's at in his career, I think it's ideal for our group," Sweeney said. "So I don't aspire to the window part of it. … Charlie [McAvoy is] signed long term. Brandon [Carlo] is signed long term. We've got foundational pieces that I think we're going to continue to be a really difficult team to play against."

 

On Saturday, Anaheim also traded forward Nicolas Deslauriers to the Minnesota Wild for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.

 

Deslauriers has scored 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 61 games this season; he has scored 82 points (41 goals, 41 assists) in 486 regular-season games with the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.

 

The 31-year-old forward is in the final season of a two-year contract he signed with the Ducks on Feb. 15, 2020 and could become an unrestricted free agent after the season.

[OccamsRazor]

Never been a fan of signing anyone to an 8 year deal and he hasn't even played a minute for the team.

 

Very risky if you ask me.

 

 

Sure better hope it works out.

 

 

[TropicalFruitGirl26]

55 minutes ago, OccamsRazor said:

Never been a fan of signing anyone to an 8 year deal and he hasn't even played a minute for the team.

 

Very risky if you ask me.

 

 

Sure better hope it works out.

 

 

 

I think health will be key.
I have no doubt Hampus will do his job, and do it well with the Bruins just like he did on a way worse defensive squad in Anaheim.

But, he did miss time here and there with the Ducks, and it could affect his ability to be at his best in his defensive role.
And defensive role will be his strong suit as Boston is NOT paying for premium offense here.

[OccamsRazor]

15 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

I think health will be key.
I have no doubt Hampus will do his job, and do it well with the Bruins just like he did on a way worse defensive squad in Anaheim.

But, he did miss time here and there with the Ducks, and it could affect his ability to be at his best in his defensive role.
And defensive role will be his strong suit as Boston is NOT paying for premium offense here.

 

Yes they could have waited to resign him to a 8 deal when the season concluded.

 

They would still have exclusive negotiation right till the end of the year.

 

It would just give you a chance to audition before committing.

 

Basically it is the same Chuck gets lambasted for when he spends all of the assets he does to acquire someone and since he wasted those assets if he commits to said player well the world melts.

 

The Bruins do it and well I have seen much complaining about it.

 

Yeah sure I know Risto is way more controversial than Lindholm I agree but I'm just pointing that I'd happens a lot in all the sports.

 

A GM spend a ludicrous amount of resources on a player and then feels obligated to keep him.

 

 

Very seldom do they invest in the talent and just walk away from it without nothing to show for it.

 

Philly is so volile right now everything is magnified and under a micro scope poor ol Chuckles can't do any right it seems.

 

And I will say a lot of it is justified and alot of it is assumed not many of us are privy to knowing truly when the GM has been instructed by his bosses to do something or not.

 

If he mentions that he was then he gets accused of deflecting or not accepting blame and all that jazz.

 

Any way I'm not a Bruin fan and it doesn't affect me one or another if it works.

[Brewin Flames]

It's just me, but if i were a GM, i don't think i would ever give a guy an 8 year deal....

 

I know these guys want term, and be secure, but imo, to many what if's....

 

As in what if he sucks, then getting out from that contract is suck.

[OccamsRazor]

4 hours ago, Brewin Flames said:

It's just me, but if i were a GM, i don't think i would ever give a guy an 8 year deal....

 

I know these guys want term, and be secure, but imo, to many what if's....

 

As in what if he sucks, then getting out from that contract is suck.

 

A dead to rights Super star yes.

 

But otherwise a 5 year deal is my max.

 

Feelings change.