Lindholm Eager to Join Bruins and Embrace Group's 'Winning Mentality'

BOSTON - Hampus Lindholm is no stranger to the postseason.
The 28-year-old blue liner played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of his first five NHL seasons with the Anaheim Ducks - including two trips to the Western Conference Final.
But for the past three campaigns, Lindholm has been unable to experience the thrill of playoff hockey as the Ducks failed to qualify for the postseason. He's hoping that trend changes this spring now that he'll be donning Black & Gold.

"I love playing in the playoffs. I've missed it the last few years. I was fortunate my first couple years in the league to always be in the run and be in long runs in the playoffs. There's nothing more fun," said Lindholm, who along with defenseman Kodie Curran was acquired by the Bruins from Anaheim on Saturday evening in exchange for Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore, the B's 2022 first-round pick, and second-rounders in 2023 and 2024.
"I can only imagine playing in [the playoffs in] Boston. I think there's gonna be a lot to be done to get there but I'm ready to go to battle with everyone in the organization."
Lindholm will be going to battle in the Spoked-B for quite some time after inking an eight-year extension - carrying a $6.5 million annual cap hit - on Sunday afternoon, a commitment that says a lot about what the Sweden native thinks of a Bruins team he has yet to play for.
"It's not easy to just go and extend your career that long in a place that you haven't lived…but it's a great team and Boston as a city, as a team, as an organization, they always have that winning mindset. They find ways to get in the mix and compete and that's something that I always want to be," said Lindholm.
"It's about the whole thing for me. It's about coming to a team that's competitive. Obviously, Boston's really showing what they think of me as a player…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."

Lindholm noted that while he doesn't have any strong relationships with any Bruins players - he does know David Pastrnak a bit from spending some time together in Sweden - he has always had great respect for the likes of Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, as well as the organization as a whole, for their commitment to winning.
"We only played against them twice a year, but I've been in the league long enough now that I've played them a bunch of times and I feel like they've always had that grit to them. They play a fun style of hockey but with that winning mentality," said Lindholm, who received welcoming phones calls from both Bergeron and Marchand following the announcement of the trade.
"They've had some winners on that team. Playing against them, it's always been tough games. I love those kinds of games. It's always been fun hockey games, playing against Boston. And the fans and the city, that speaks for itself I think."
And now Lindholm will be a piece of that puzzle as the Bruins aim to make another lengthy playoff run.
"I think they already have a championship-caliber team," said Lindholm. "I think any team I come to is going to be a better team…I definitely think anywhere I go, I know I'm gonna make a difference. I'm super excited to come to Boston. I think it's a good fit for me. It's going to be exciting to see how it's gonna go here at the end of the year and the years following."
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney feels the same way. Sweeney parted with a bevy of organizational assets in order to make a commitment to Lindholm over the long term with the belief that the former sixth overall pick can become a foundational piece of Boston's core moving forward and help the Bruins "continue to be a really difficult team to play against."
"I think it says a lot about both sides," Sweeney said of agreeing to terms on an eight-year extension with Lindholm and his agent, Claude Lemieux. "It says a lot about the player wanting to come to an environment that he's going to feel comfortable. He's only known one other environment. He's doing his own due diligence in calling around and asking what it's gonna be like coming to the Boston Bruins and being there long term.
"It also speaks to the commitment of our ownership in Cam [Neely] and Charlie [Jacobs] and Mr. [Jeremy] Jacobs in supporting what we're trying to do as an organization and continue to improve every day. We ask our players, how invested are you? Because the organization, we're always going to match that."

Sweeney also knows how important it is to build a deep and talented back line for the postseason, having seen the Bruins defense corps depleted in the spring on multiple occasions over the past few years, which hampered Boston's ability to advance.
"He's an all-situational player, carrying heavy minutes over the duration of his career up until this point," said Sweeney. "I think that extends into situations that we feel we can continue to lean on. We've run through D every year heading into the playoffs and through the playoffs. We have to have players that can probably step into those situational minutes.
"Currently, we're one of the teams that gives up one of the least amount of expected goals overall. But the depth, the impact that we needed and identified - and plenty of [reporters] have written about - is something that we felt we wanted to address."
Over the course of his nine-year career - all with Anaheim - Lindholm has turned into a proven top-four defenseman, playing crucial minutes at even strength and on special teams, while also being able to push the pace offensively. Through 61 games this season, the 6-foot-4, 216-pound left shot has averaged 22:32 of ice time, second on the Ducks behind Cam Fowler's 24:16. The 2021 first-round pick has 22 points (five goals, 17 assists) in 61 games and for his career has notched 57 goals and 222 points in 582 games.
"We're a better team today," said Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy, who noted that the move will create a competition between Derek Forbort, Mike Reilly, and Connor Clifton for time on Boston's third pairing. "He's a legitimate top-four resume in the National Hockey League. He's playoff tested. He's still young…he's a real good add for us…for a coach, it's a big add. Organizationally, you're giving up assets, but you're putting a player in that they're not easy to find. I think this is a great addition for us."
Lindholm will travel to Boston on Monday and get set for his Bruins debut on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning at TD Garden, playing with either Charlie McAvoy or Brandon Carlo. Cassidy noted that Lindholm is likely to see time with both right-shot blue liners down the stretch as Boston's bench boss determines which combination works best together.
"I think they're both great players," said Lindholm. "The whole team itself, there's some really good players on that squad. I'm a guy that always wants to be known for making guys better out there when I'm on the ice. I think any guy I get to play with, I'm a guy that wants to be that [Swiss Army Knife] that fits into any role that can play any minutes.
"I think that's something that's always been my strength and something that I value a lot as a D-man, to be the two-way defenseman that you can put anywhere in any situation to help the team win some hockey games."

The Bruins have done plenty of winning since the calendar turned to 2022, posting a 24-9-3 record with 51 points, second only to Colorado's 57 points during that span. And given the B's torrid tear over the past three months, Sweeney felt that adding a piece like Lindholm was somewhat of a reward for a group that has high aspirations.
"I don't think there's necessarily a window of urgency to hit the accelerator," said Sweeney. "Since January, and certainly since February, our team has played particularly well. We're in an incredible division right now. There's no easy opponents, no matter where you're playing, no matter what the matchup if we're fortunate to get in.
"For us, you take the pulse of how the team is playing and how they feel and try to add to it if they're in a position to challenge. I think anybody that makes the playoffs in the East and the West is going to be a hard out no matter who you're playing. The war of attrition generally plays out."
And it's that exact type of fight that Lindholm is looking forward to embracing.
"Being around the league for nine years, I understand also how hard it is to get into the playoffs. It's not something that you just do. It's 82 games of just battle," said Lindholm. "That's why I'm so impressed with Boston as an organization, how they always find ways in a tough division, tough conference, always fight in somehow. That's the kind of fighting mentality that I like to have myself and like to bring to the table.
"It's exciting to come to a team like Boston that has that fighting edge to get in and give yourself a chance to win something."