Trade Grade: Anaheim Ducks trade Hampus Lindholm to the Boston Bruins

The NFL Trade Deadline is an opportunity for teams to get value for their playoff push or to help/start with their rebuild. This is a trade that satisfies both sides as it involves the Anaheim Ducks (Rebuilding Team) and the Boston Bruins (Playoff Team). They have come to a deal on Hampus Lindholm and the details of that trade are down below.

Anaheim Ducks Acquire: D John Moore, D Urho Vaakanainen, 2022 1st Round Pick, 2023 2nd Round Pick, and 2024 2nd Round Pick
Boston Bruins Acquire: D Kodie Curran and D Hampus Lindholm

Anaheim Ducks Side

Anaheim knew what needed to be done and that is blow it up. The Ducks knew that they were not going to win with this core. Lindholm was a player that they had to trade as he only had one year left on his contract and has a cap hit of 5.2 million dollars. So why not trade him not for future value than lose him for next to nothing. The Ducks got a lot more value than they should have gotten in this deal. They get 3 high draft picks 2 2nd rounders and a 1st rounder. They even got a very good prospect in Urho Vaakanainen. Vaakanainen is a 23rd years old, 6’1”, 185 lbs and was taken 18th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft. Vaakanainen showed a lot of flashes in both the AHL and NHL as a solid two-way defender. He has a strong puck-moving ability, has a lot of offensive upsides when creating opportunities, and is a really good skater. John Moore was a throw-in to eat a bad contract so that the Ducks could get an extra 2nd round pick. It is a very good hall for the Anaheim Ducks in this trade.

Boston Bruins Side

When I heard the news that the Boston Bruins were acquiring Hampus Lindholm I was thinking that it was a solid depth piece for the defense. When full details of the entire trade leaked I legit could not believe it. This is definitely an overpayment by the Boston Bruins. Now I don’t think Lindholm is a terrible player as he is a pretty good defender, has grit, and has solid intangibles for a defenseman. Lindholm is a pretty solid piece to have on defense but he has suffered some decline analytically this year. Lindholm will be a great fit with the culture of the team as he is friends with both Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand who are lockerroom leaders. Another positive is that the Bruins got out of a bad contract with John Moore who has a cap hit of 2.75 million dollars and 2 years remaining in his deal.

There is retained salary on this deal so the cap hit this season is 2.6 million dollars in this deal. But that kind of does not matter as the Bruins resign Lindholm to an 8-year contract worth a 6.5 million dollar cap hit per year. To be honest I don’t hate the contract and it is fair value for Lindholm. There is a risk that follows as Hampus Lindholm could become a player that falls off the cliff in a few years but it might be worth it for the Bruins. Hopefully, he does well with the Bruins now as they gave up a ton of future picks and a prospect.

In the case of Kodie Curran, he is mainly going to be depth for the AHL and a replacement for trading Vaakanainen. I don’t see him playing in the majors anytime soon.

The Stats In Question

Grades for Hampus Lindholm Trade
Anaheim Ducks: A+
Boston Bruins: B–

No question Anaheim wins this deal. They got a lot of future value for Lindholm which is going to help in their rebuild. I don’t think the Bruins lose in this trade even though it was an overpayment. The Bruins get more defensive help and get a guy who will be a positive part of their locker room. Overall great move by Ducks GM Pat Verbeek and a solid move by Bruins GM Don Sweeney.