New Bruins defenseman Hampus Lindholm has yet to even arrive in Boston, but he has already committed to playing here for the next eight years.
After acquiring the 28-year-old left-shot D from the Anaheim Ducks in a blockbuster trade on Saturday, the Bruins announced on Sunday that they have signed Lindholm to an eight-year extension with an average annual value of $6.5 million.
Meeting with the Boston media via Zoom, Lindholm said he was “super excited” to join his new team.
“I’m super excited to be a Bruin,” Lindholm said. “I want to thank Don Sweeney here for wanting to make this happen for me. It’s something I can only dream of. Super excited.”
Lindholm said Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand called him after the trade was completed, and that he also knows David Pastrnak and his girlfriend a little bit.
Asked about signing the extension before even setting foot in the locker room or joining his new teammates on the ice, Lindholm acknowledged it wasn’t an easy decision, but said he had a gut feeling that made Boston just feel right.
“That was a tough decision,” he said. “It’s not easy to kind of go and extend your career that long in a place you haven’t lived, but for me, I go a lot on my stomach feeling. The team itself, it’s a great team, and they always have -- Boston as a team and a city and an organization -- they always have that winning mindset. They find ways to get in the mix, and that’s something where I always want to be.
“I love playing in the playoffs. I’ve missed it the last few years here now. I was very fortunate my first couple years to always be in it and making long runs in the playoffs. There’s nothing more fun. I can only imagine that playing in Boston. There’s going to be a lot to be done to get there, but I’m ready to go to battle with everyone.”
Lindholm will arrive in Boston on Monday. He won’t play in Monday night’s game in Montreal, but is expected to make his Bruins debut on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden.
In many ways, that feels like a perfect first test. While the Bruins have plenty of competition around the Eastern Conference, the two-time defending champion Lightning remain the big target that everyone is aiming for. Lindholm was asked if he thinks he can help put the Bruins “over the top.”
“I think they already have a championship-caliber team,” he said. “I think any team I come to is going to be a better team. Obviously I can’t speak exactly for the team and how they’ve been playing and stuff like that and watching every single game, but I definitely think anywhere I go, I know I’m going to make a difference.
“I’m super happy and excited to come to Boston. I think it’s a good fit for me, and I’m excited to see how it’s going to go the end of the year and the years coming up. I definitely think I’m going to help the team be a better team.”
Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said Lindholm will play either on the top defense pairing with Charlie McAvoy or the second next to Brandon Carlo, and will likely see some time with both in the weeks to come regardless of where he starts out. Cassidy said Matt Grzelcyk will remain in the top four while Mike Reilly, Derek Forbort and Connor Clifton compete for playing time on the third pairing.
Sweeney still exploring ahead of deadline
Because all the salary in the Lindholm trade basically cancels out for the rest of this season, the Bruins still have a little over $6 million in deadline cap space to make another move or two before Monday’s 3 p.m. deadline.
Whether they do or not remains to be seen. While general manager Don Sweeney obviously wasn’t going to tip his hand one way or the other when meeting with the media on Sunday, he did say he’s still exploring and didn’t declare the Bruins done.
“We’re looking at every possible situation to add to our group,” Sweeney said. “Obviously we’ve given up future assets that affect decision-making where I sit today, but we’re going to continue to look and see if we can improve our team. We’re comfortable with where we’re at and how our team is playing, injuries aside, but yeah, I want to continue to explore it over the next two days.”
One player that has been linked to the Bruins quite a bit recently: Versatile Winnipeg Jets center/wing Andrew Copp.
Krejci not coming back
One player the Bruins will not be adding is David Krejci. Sweeney informed the media that Krejci has ruled out a return to the NHL this season and has decided to stay in the Czech Republic with his family.
Krejci’s Czech season ended on Thursday when HC Olomouc was eliminated from the Extraliga playoffs. That provided at least a tiny glimmer of hope that he could return before Monday and be eligible for the NHL playoffs, but now that door can be shut once and for all… at least for this season.
DeBrusk remains a Bruin, for now
Twenty-four hours out from the trade deadline, Jake DeBrusk remains a Bruin despite having his trade request out in the open since November. DeBrusk’s agent has confirmed in recent weeks that DeBrusk has not had a change of heart and would still like to be moved before Monday afternoon.
Sweeney said he continues to explore trade possibilities involving DeBrusk, but made it clear that he has no intention to trade DeBrusk just for the sake of trading him, and will only do so if it’s a deal that helps the Bruins.
“Just going through the calls as I either field them or make them and explore different ways -- kind of like I landed with Hampus, it’s not easy to find deals,” Sweeney said. “You’re seeing players that have moved around, and there’s some big players that are moving right now. So I’ll continue to explore.
“I don’t think Jake’s changed his opinion, but that doesn’t mean it happens, and I’ve said that from day one. If I can make it fit for the Boston Bruins and helping our team… Jake’s helping our team, so I certainly would only do it if it’s going to help our team.”
Bergeron to miss another game; McLaughlin could make NHL debut
Patrice Bergeron will miss a third straight game Monday with a lingering arm issue. Cassidy said there is a possibility he returns Thursday against Tampa.
Jack Studnicka, who centered the Bruins’ top line on Friday in Bergeron’s absence, could also miss Monday’s game in Montreal. Cassidy said he is day-to-day with an injury suffered while blocking a shot Friday night.
If Studnicka can’t go and there’s no new trade addition ready to play Monday, Marc McLaughlin could make his NHL debut. The Bruins recalled McLaughlin from AHL Providence on Sunday, just a few days after signing the 22-year-old Billerica native to an entry-level contract.
McLaughlin practiced with the team on Sunday and was centering the fourth line between Nick Foligno and Curtis Lazar. Tomas Nosek moved up to the top line between Marchand and DeBrusk.
Cassidy shared his early impressions of McLaughlin, including what he heard from Boston College coach Jerry York. York had McLaughlin for four years at BC, including the last two as team captain.
“I talked to Jerry the other day. Loves him as a person. He was his captain for two years. Hard-working guy,” Cassidy said. “He’s got a bit of Noel [Acciari] in his game, in terms of straight-line play. Been a center and a winger, mostly center [at BC], kind of like Noel was mostly center at Providence and we used him in both spots. But I don’t want to pigeon-hole anybody. Let’s get him out there and play when it’s his turn to go, and then we’ll be able to better identify where he fits.
“I know he shoots the puck hard. He had some power-play goals, so that’s an area maybe if we had a guy missing from the bumper, he could add. But it sounds like he’s a Bruin -- hard-working guy, straight-line player, and will give it his all every night. We’re going to try our best to get him in here as soon as we can, and not disrupt our flow, but that’s the plan with Marc.”
Panthers reportedly putting Aaron Ekblad on long-term IR
In a move that is certainly of some interest to the Bruins, the Florida Panthers are expected to put star defenseman Aaron Ekblad on long-term injured reserve, according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.
Seravalli adds that Ekblad, who suffered a lower-body injury on Friday, will not return during the regular season, but likely at some point during the first round of the playoffs.
That sounds a bit like what the Tampa Bay Lightning did with Nikita Kucherov last year, and this will similarly free up money for the Panthers to make another impact move if they want to. The Panthers have already gone all-in by acquiring forward Claude Giroux and defenseman Ben Chiarot.
Of course, if Ekblad missing that much time is actually legitimate and there’s a chance he’s not completely healthy by the playoffs, that would be a major blow to Florida.
Related
