The Anaheim Ducks pulled off a whopper on Saturday, trading defensemen Hampus Lindholm and Kodie Curran to Boston for defenseman Urho Vaakanainen, defenseman John Moore, a 2022 first-round draft pick, a 2023 second-round draft pick and a 2024 second-round draft pick. The Ducks also retained 50% of Lindholm’s salary.
That’s a whole lot of return for Lindholm, who is a pending unrestricted free agent. Let’s grade the GMs who made this one happen:
GM Pat Verbeek knew Anaheim wasn’t going to re-sign Lindholm this summer. And the Ducks have been steadily sliding out of the playoff picture, making Lindholm more immediately expendable.
In the past, Lindholm has been a real driver for the Ducks’ defense. The 28-year-old’s impacted has lessened lately though on a rebuilding squad that’s dealt with its own ups-and-downs as a group. Anaheim has young defenders like Jamie Drysdale to steer towards for the future. Better to leverage Lindholm now, and that’s exactly what Verbeek did.
This season…
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