The Anaheim Ducks agreed to trade Hampus Lindholm and Kodie Curran to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2022 first-round pick, 2023 second-round pick, 2024 second-round pick, John Moore and Urho Vaakanainen. The Ducks will retain 50% of Lindholm’s salary.
The @AnaheimDucks have traded Hampus Lindholm to the @NHLBruins. 🔁 Thoughts on the deal? 🤔 #NHLTradeDeadline | @bet99sportsbook pic.twitter.com/p9wtznRUyt
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 19, 2022
The Ducks also traded Nic Deslauriers to the Minnesota Wild for a third round pick.
Ducks get third-round pick in 2023 from Wild for Deslauriers, a pending UFA https://t.co/gyGwH8AbX6
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 19, 2022
Anaheim Ducks Trade Hampus Lindholm
The Ducks completed this trade just barely ahead of the 2022 trade deadline. In return, the Ducks acquired a package of picks, and a young player making his way in the NHL. John Moore is a bit of a cap dump. Lindholm, a pending unrestricted free agent, carries a $5.2 million cap hit.
Hampus Lindholm Trade Provides Defensive Depth
In Lindholm, the Ducks lose a player they drafted back in 2012, in the first round at sixth overall. Anaheim went up and down the standings over his tenure, but Lindholm always brought stability and consistency to their lineup. Through nine seasons, the defenceman posted 57 goals and 164 assists in 221 career games. The scoresheet doesn’t reflect what he brings to the table, though. At 6’4″, 216 pounds, Lindholm starts the majority of his shifts in his own zone. A defence-first player, he also accumulated 551 hits and 744 blocked shots. This season, he scored five goals and 17 assists for 22 points, adding 42 minutes in penalties.
His possession numbers sit just barely on the positive side across the entirety of his career, though this season has been a bit of a negative outlier. He currently sports a relative Corsi of -2.8 percent. Over his NHL career, Lindholm only played for the Ducks up to now.
The Boston Bruins are also expected to sign Hampus Lindholm to an 8-year, $6.5 million AAV extension.
Expect Hampus Lindholm's eight-year extension with the #bruins to come in with an AAV around $6.5M.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) March 20, 2022
Vaakanainen, 23, was the Bruins first-round pick in 2017 (18th overall). The defence first defender has four assists in 15 games this season. He has six assists in 31 career NHL games.
What This Means for the Future
Lindholm leaves Anaheim for a shot at a playoff run, in a season where it looked for a while like he’d maybe get that shot with the Ducks. However, the team’s hot start cooled off. They sit where most pegged them at the beginning of the year, which made Lindholm expendable. After all, they figured he’d leave come free agency this summer.
In the long term, Anaheim will be just fine. They have enough young, up-and-coming talent across their roster. Losing an expensive defenceman that could potentially be peaking right now anyways won’t hurt their future. That being said, their blueline today remains really thin now. They lost Haydn Fleury via expansion last summer, then dealt Josh Manson just this month to the Colorado Avalanche.
Jamie Drysdale will be their cornerstone for seasons to come. Cam Fowler also has four years left after this season on his deal. Kevin Shattenkirk could stick around too, but maybe trade bait elsewhere. This team has time to bolster their ranks, but shouldn’t be in a rush to do so quite yet. Meanwhile, Lindholm has a postseason opportunity now. He will have the option to test free agency this summer, too, should he want that as well.
