The NHL trade deadline passed without Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney adding to the team’s forward group, but the weekend acquisition of defenseman Hampus Lindholm and addition of depth defender Josh Brown on Monday bolstered a blue line that was the team’s biggest area of need entering the stretch drive.
Lindholm was the most impactful defenseman to be dealt last week, as the Arizona Coyotes opted to hold onto Jakob Chychrun for the time being. The 24-year-old signed through 2025 was a player of interest for the B’s because of his age, experience, production and cost control, but the price for him would have been higher than what Boston gave up to Anaheim for the Swedish veteran.
According to sources, Sweeney tried to bring in more skill and scoring to the forward position prior to the deadline. He was rumored to be involved in multiple discussions with Anaheim, Vancouver and Columbus, with the majority of his attention focused on Anaheim right wing Rickard Rakell. Pittsburgh was more willing to pay a premium for the veteran's services, however.
Big Lindholm extension is a good investment
Before a full day had passed after Sweeney pulled the trigger on Lindholm, the team announced he had come to terms on an eight-year extension worth $6.5 million annually.
In the short term, securing Lindholm’s services over the long term makes the three high draft choices (a 2022 first-rounder, and second-rounders in 2023 and 2024) a worthwhile sacrifice. The B’s would certainly benefit from using their first-rounder this year to possibly draft a skilled young center who could be had after pick 15, but the reality is, the team knew it had to get better on the left side if there was any hope of competing in the playoffs.
At 27, Lindholm is in his prime as a seasoned defense-first type whose offensive numbers should see an uptick in Boston. What he’s good at — clean breakouts and offensive zone entries, strong 5v5 defensive play, details like shot-blocking and an active stick — are all important attributes to any defense. Assuming he plays the bulk of his time with Charlie McAvoy, Lindholm gives Bruce Cassidy and his staff a trusted option to play volume minutes and boost Boston’s already strong defensive numbers.
To give up three prime picks for a player who would only play a relative handful of games and then potentially sign elsewhere in the offseason would have made this move another questionable asset management decision. To Sweeney’s credit, he wasn’t going to allow that.
“You’ve got a player in Hampus that is not just come to impact our team now but moving forward,” Sweeney said Monday. “Having him signed and in area that we feel we could help our group, even though they’ve played well. I think we’re a good defending team. (It’s a) testament to the structure of the coaches and the players to play to that. Hampus is excited to come in and impact our hockey club.”
Lindholm will be even better for the Bruins next season, when he has the benefit of a full training camp and experience in the system. He’ll still be in his prime years over the first four years of the deal, which at $6.5 million annually isn’t cheap, but with his attributes and expected contributions will provide roster stability. As he gets older and his production declines, his cap hit will move to the middle of the pack for NHL salaries as other higher-end defensemen sign big-ticket contracts. He’ll not likely ever be a bargain, but Lindholm’s contract should not become an albatross if he stays healthy.
He’s also a quality person off the ice and has the reputation as a good teammate. He’s a fit for the culture and wants to be here.
Brown provides depth, size, toughness
Sweeney added one more piece on deadline day, acquiring Brown from the Senators along with a conditional seventh-round pick in 2022, for Zach Senyshyn and Boston’s fifth-round selection in the same draft.
At 6-foot-5, 217 pounds, the former Florida Panthers sixth-rounder is limited in terms of his skating and overall ability. However, in the right role as a seventh or eighth defenseman and matched against heavier, more physical teams, he provides a deterrent option for the B’s. He can fight, and will take on anyone who tries to take liberties with some of Boston’s established players.
The right-shooting bruiser will be a hedge against the loss of players to injury. In 165 career NHL games with the Panthers and Senators, Brown has four goals and 17 points with 129 penalty minutes, with two scoreless playoff games as well. There’s not much skill here, but he’s a big body who can play in a pinch and gives the coaches options if they need them.
This trade allowed the team to move on from Senyshyn, the 15th overall selection in 2015, who was taken earlier than he should have been. Going home to Ottawa allows the former Boston prospect the opportunity to do a reset with lowered expectations while putting the polarizing aspect of his selection behind him.
Will failure to land another forward bite B's?
Losing Rakell to the Penguins hurts, but Sweeney may have been leery of giving up assets for a player who, according to reports, did not want to negotiate an extension with any team other than Anaheim. The Penguins gave up former Northeastern star Zach Aston-Reese, two prospects and a second-round pick for what could be a rental.
The B’s were rumored to be on other players, possibly J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser or Conor Garland (Scituate, Mass.) and Max Domi, but in the end Vancouver held on to both of Boeser and Garland, while Domi went to Carolina.
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That means that after signing Jake DeBrusk to a two-year, $8 million contract extension, he is on board for the playoff run. Sweeney secured him for flexibility at the deadline, but the signing is smart in that it gives DeBrusk some security and allows him to focus on keeping his play trending higher.
“We’re going to need Jake,” Sweeney said. “We feel that he’s an important part of our hockey club. We wanted him to feel that way. It also sends a message to the rest of everyone that had, there’s clarity there in moving forward if we were going to explore something. Didn’t really mean today at all, just means moving forward. The impact that he can have on our hockey club, we believe in.”
Sweeney couldn’t afford to move on from DeBrusk at a discounted rate in terms of return and can revisit the situation in the offseason. Bottom line: the veteran is more valuable to the Bruins in his current state than it would have been to make a lateral move and have a new player have to adjust to the new team and culture.
Boston’s biggest disadvantage is at the center position, where there is little depth should anything happen to the core guys.
A rumored target, Boston College’s Jack McBain, was sent from Minnesota to Arizona for one of the Coyotes’ multiple 2022 second-round selections. Although an intriguing prospect for the future, McBain has no pro experience, and there were no major impact pivots to be had at the deadline. Sweeney’s attention appeared to be on adding a winger. So for now, upgrading the center position will have to wait.
