With a slow beginning to the trade deadline and a lot of speculation floating around the league, it’s only a matter of time before the match drops and the spark is ignited. On March 14th, that match dropped as the Anaheim Ducks got the trade deadline going with their deal involving Defenseman Josh Manson being shipped to the Rockies to suit up for the Colorado Avalanche. While this was the first trade to mark the deadline frenzy, it doesn’t seem to be the last for the Ducks as they look to clear expiring contracts off their roster due to contract extensions stalling out. Multiple reports have come out that negotiations surrounding Hampus Lindholm and Rickard Rakell are going nowhere, forcing general manager Pat Verbeek’s hand in finding trade partners as he did for the expiring Manson. While this is terrible news for Duck fans, this is excellent news for the trade market as two new players enter the conversation, especially for the Boston Bruins, who are linked to Lindholm.
Where He Fits in Boston
At just 28 years old, Lindholm is in the middle of his prime and fits perfectly into Boston’s win-now mentality as their contention window is slowly closing with their core group of veterans. At 6’4″ and 216 lbs, Lindholm brings size and skill to the Bruins’ left side of the defense as he’s a left-shot defenseman that would slide right into the top pairing with young stud Charlie McAvoy. This would allow the other left-side defenseman currently on the Bruins to slide down, creating a better balance between the pairings and solidifying the shaky defensive play the Bruins have seen during the season.
Bruins-Ducks Trade History
A possible trade with the Ducks should come as no surprise as there were whispers earlier in the year surrounding young defenseman Jakub Zboril being shipped to the west coast before tearing his ACL and the deal going back to the shadows. It should also be noted that there has been a consistent presence of Anaheim scouts spotted at the TD Garden for Bruins home games over the last month or two. On another note, that is good news for Bruins fans hoping to bring Lindholm to Boston is that the Ducks and Bruins are very familiar with each other as they have conducted multiple trades over the last couple of years. The Bruins have acquired both Nick Ritchie and Ondrej Kase from the Ducks while also sending David Backes to Anaheim in a salary dump. Having that established connection already exist for Don Sweeney will come in handy as the Bruins GM looks to go all in this season searching for their first Stanley Cup Championship since 2011.
What it Will Take to Make the Deal Happen
To acquire the left-shot defenseman the Bruins are in dire need of in their top four, won’t come cheap for Boston even though Lindholm is scheduled to be a free agent after the season. Finding a top-four defenseman in the NHL is never cheap, even especially at the deadline when the seller knows the power they hold in negotiations. For Boston to be willing to give up a bounty for a rental player, Sweeney must have the thought process that they will be able to keep Lindholm around for years to come. The talk around the league for Boston to acquire Lindholm will most likely take a combination of some affordable NHL players under contract, prospects such as Urho Vaakanainen or Jack Studnicka, and most certainly a first-round pick if Boston wants Lindholm coming to the east coast. While this is not out of the realm of possibilities, it will most likely come down to whether or not Boston can get Hampus Lindholm to commit long-term locking in the future of Boston’s top pairing.
