*Photo from NBC Sports*
It's officially trade season, with the deadline on Monday afternoon. The Boston Bruins have acquired D Hampus Lindholm and D Kodie Curran from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for D Urho Vaakanainen, D John Moore, a first round pick, and two second round picks, according to NHL Network's Kevin Weekes. Both teams have confirmed the trade.
The Bruins are getting Lindholm, an elite, top 4 left shot defenseman, with 50 percent salary retention by the Ducks. The Bruins and Lindholm have agreed to an 8 year extension worth about $6.5 million AAV, keeping him around until age 36. Lindholm is also a player capable of eating minutes on the ice while still playing at a consistently high level.
So far this season, in 61 games with the Ducks, Lindholm has 5 goals and 17 assists, to go with a 0 plus/minus, while averaging 22:32 of ice time. A former first round pick in 2012, Lindholm has 57 goals and 164 assists, with a +74 plus/minus in an ATOI of 22:11, playing in 581 regular season games. In 55 playoff games, Lindholm has 4 goals and 17 assists.
While the picks are important for the Ducks, the top player they are getting back is Vaakanainen, a left shot defenseman who was chosen with the 18th overall pick in 2017 by the Bruins. In 15 games this season, Vaakanainen looked like he was finally rounding into a quality NHL player, recording 4 assists and playing sturdy defense while averaging 19:17 of ice time. He has 6 assists in 31 career games.
Moore is another left shot defenseman, who has been buried in the minors after failing to live up to a 5 year, $2.75 million annual cap hit. He has recorded one assist in 7 games in the NHL this season. In 97 regular season games, split between 5 teams, Moore has 38 goals and 80 assists, with a -35 rating in an ATOI of 17:37. He has 4 assists and a -3 rating in 49 playoff games.
Ducks GM Pat Verbeek said of the trade that "Hampus has been a fixture with the Ducks for years, which we value and respect. That said, we are very pleased with our return. As I've stated since arriving in Anaheim, 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."
In Boston, Lindholm will likely slot into the top pairing alongside fellow workhorse Charlie McAvoy. Moore will likely get a shot with the Ducks at the NHL, while Vaakanainen likely will as well, when he gets healthy, as he is currently on IR.
Comments
Post a Comment