The Bruins were busy on Saturday dealing for another top-four workhorse in Hampus Lindholm — but with the trade deadline still 24 hours away, Don Sweeney and the B’s have remained busy as they look to fine tune this roster ahead of another playoff push.
Here are some takeaways from a busy Sunday afternoon at Warrior Ice Arena.
Bruins sign Lindholm to an eight-year extension
As soon as the details from Saturday’s megadeal started to emerge, it seemed like a given that the Bruins weren’t acquiring a veteran blueliner like Lindholm with the expectation that he’d only be serving as a short-term rental.
Sure enough, Boston ensured that the 28-year-old defenseman will be part of this top-four D corps for both the final stages of this current contention window and whatever lies ahead — with the team announcing an eight-year contract extension for Lindholm on Sunday afternoon. The deal will see Lindholm represent a $6.5 million annual cap hit, with some level of trade protection in place for every season until his contract expires in 2030.
Lindholm, speaking on Sunday via Zoom, acknowledged that the Ducks — in an attempt to work out an extension before ultimately deciding to deal him — offered him more money over an annual basis.
But Boston’s commitment to a long-term agreement, coupled with the franchise’s focus on contending now and in the future, made his new contract a no-brainer, even before logging one game in a black-and-gold sweater.
"For me, it's about the whole thing for me,” Lindholm said of the appeal with Boston. “It's about coming somewhere competitive and obviously Boston is really showing what they think of me as a player and the trust and that's something that I can't thank them enough for. To be able to sign a long extension with an organization like the Bruins, I think that's most NHL players' dream.”
Of course, signing a defenseman through his age-36 season offers plenty of risk down the road. But for Sweeney and the Bruins, Lindholm represents an asset that can both bolster Boston’s blueline depth this postseason and serve as a foundational piece for the next generation of Bruins leadership.
“I think bringing a player of Hampus in with the age and where he's at in his career, I think it's ideal for our group,” Sweeney said. “I don't aspire to the (contention) window part of it. I think the fact that we're gonna sign him (to a long term deal) ... and you realize that Charlie's signed long term, Brandon is signed long-term, we've got foundational pieces that I think we're going to continue to be a really difficult team to play against.”
A top-four designation
As for where Lindholm slots into the lineup? No surprise here, but Bruce Cassidy confirmed that Boston’s new trade pickup will skate with either Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo in Boston’s top-four unit.
However, Cassidy noted that the Bruins have yet to decide on where to deploy Lindholm, who won’t play Monday in Montreal but will be available for Thursday’s home matchup against the Lightning.
Whether it be part of a super-pairing with McAvoy or next to a stay-at-home option like Carlo, Lindholm believes that he can elevate whichever partner he logs shifts with in Boston.
"I think they're both great players and the whole team itself — there are some really good players on the squad and I think I'm a guy that always wants to be the guy known for making guys better out there when I'm on the ice," Lindholm said. "And I think any guy I get to play with, I'm a guy that wants to be that kind of Swiss Army Knife that can just fit into any role, that you can play anywhere, any minutes, kind of thing.
“I think that's something that's always been my strength and something that I value a lot as a D man, to be that two-way defenseman that you can put anywhere in a situation to help the team win some hockey games. Coming to a team like Boston, that's a bunch of winners and players that want to win. I think it makes it even more exciting to jump on board here."
Letting the dust settle on third pairing
Of course, with Lindholm now occupying a spot in Boston’s top-four unit, Cassidy believes that there will be an internal competition between Derek Forbort, Mike Reilly and Connor Clifton to round out that third D pairing.
At first glance, it would seem like Boston will roll with a Forbort-Reilly pairing out of the gate, with Cassidy noting that Reilly is capable of playing on his right side. Such a move could actually benefit Reilly, whose offensive instincts could exploit some weaker matchups further down on the depth chart.
“Mike has played right, so that will work in his favor,” Cassidy said. “We’ve asked him to go up and play with Charlie. I think he did a good job in a lot of instances. It’s a big ask to go from where he was to a top pair, playing against top guys every night. … This should be a little more where he probably should be slotted in the long run.
“I don’t like to say that to be disrespectful to a player. But at the end of the day, I’m not sure he was there in his career where he was a No. 1-pair guy every night. … But he’s a little more probably where he should be now.”
Krejci staying put in Czechia
As fun as it would be to envision David Krejci rejoining the Bruins for yet another Cup run, such a storybook narrative won’t come to fruition this spring.
Even though Krejci — whose season in the Czech Extraliga came to an end earlier this week — could have signed a contract with Boston ahead of Monday’s deadline (and would need to pass through waivers), Sweeney said that veteran pivot wants to stay put with his family in his native Czechia.
If Boston is going to want to upgrade its personnel down the middle, it’s going to have to look elsewhere on the market.
Sweeney still exploring options
Whether it be some cap flexibility (over $6 million in bankable “deadline” cap space), or the number of appealing assets still in Sweeney’s possession (Jake DeBrusk, 2023 first-round pick & more), the Bruins are still expected to be active between now and Monday’s deadline when it comes to adding to this roster.
Updated Cap Outlook after the Lindholm trade. Still plenty of cap space to add at the deadline, but next year is looking tight assuming Lindholm signs extension. pic.twitter.com/Hi3xPBYe7E
— Bruins Cap Space (@bruinscapspace) March 20, 2022
"We're looking at every possible situation to add to our group,” Sweeney said. “I mean, obviously, we've given up future assets that affect decision making and where I sit today and in the next few days. But we're going to still continue to look and see if we can improve our team. We're comfortable where our team is at and how they're playing, injuries aside, and the unknown. But yeah, I mean, I want to continue to explore it over the next two days."
As for DeBrusk’s status, Sweeney noted that the Bruins are still looking at accommodating his trade request. But again, only for the proper return.
“It's not easy to find deals, and you're seeing players that move around and there are some big players that are moving right now,” Sweeney said. “So I'll continue to explore. I don't think Jake has changed his opinion. But that doesn't mean that it happens. And I've said that from day one. If I can make it fit for the for Boston Bruins and help our team — Jake's helping our team. So I certainly would only do it in the fact of what's going to help our team.”
