Anaheim Ducks trade Hampus Lindholm to the Boston Bruins

The Anaheim Ducks have dealt another defenseman, this time trading Hampus Lindholm to the Boston Bruins for a first round pick, two second round picks, Urho Vaakanainen, and John Moore.

**Breaking News** Per sources, @NHLBruins to acquire D Man Hampus Lindholm from @AnaheimDucks . @espn @NHLNetwork #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/i9XVfyZJ8h

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) March 19, 2022

The defenseman was considered to be one of the top trade targets at this year’s deadline, especially on the blueline. He was ranked number two on Frank Seravalli’s Trade Target’s list on Friday.

Lindholm joins Josh Manson as the second Ducks defenseman dealt at the deadline, after the team couldn’t agree to a contract extension with either player. After a strong start to the season, the Ducks have faltered a bit, putting them in a better position to sell at the deadline. Lindholm is on the last year of a six year contract with a $5,205,556 cap hit, 50% of which will be retained by the Ducks in the trade.

Lindholm currently has five goals and 22 points in 61 games this season, although he’s not as known for his offensive game as he is for being a jack of all trades, master of none. He has a 48.55% CF% and 46.42% xGF% this season at even strength, and while the Ducks don’t have strong underlying numbers as a team, it isn’t the reason Lindholm’s underperforming there, as he is -0.32% and -3.62% relatively to his teammates in those stats, respectively.

Vaakanainen is a 23 year old defenseman drafted first overall by the Bruins in 2017. He’s played 31 games over the course of four NHL seasons, with the 15 he’s played this year being the most. He has six assists in his NHL career so far.

John Moore is mostly in the deal for salary cap purposes, as he has a year left after this season on a five year deal with a $2.75 million cap hit. He’s played in just 12 NHL games over the past two seasons.

Lindholm joins a Bruins team that has comfortably been in the first wild card spot in the Eastern Conference for most of the season with a 38-19-5 record. However, they are challenging for a higher seeding, as they sit just two points back of the Toronto Maple Leafs with only one extra game played.

The three draft picks will all come in different years, as the first round pick will be for the upcoming 2022 draft, and the two seconds will be in the 2023 and 2024 drafts.