Should Bruins pay this reported asking price for a Hampus Lindholm trade?

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The Anaheim Ducks are a team to watch as Monday's NHL trade deadline nears because they have a couple players with expiring contracts who could be moved.

One of those players -- defenseman Josh Manson -- was already dealt to the Colorado Avalanche earlier this week in exchange for a second-round pick and a good defenseman prospect.

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The best Ducks player rumored to be available is defenseman Hampus Lindholm. He's a legit top-four blueliner with an impressive offensive skill set. He's also 28 years old with plenty of his prime remaining.

These types of players are highly coveted, so it would make sense for the Ducks to try and work out a contract extension with Lindholm. But if the two sides fail to reach an agreement before the trade deadline, the Ducks need to move him and avoid the risk of seeing him walk in free agency for nothing.

What's the asking price for teams interested in Lindholm? Well, according to longtime reporter Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, it's a pretty steep one.

The Boston Bruins reportedly are among the teams with interest in Lindholm. What would a Bruins-centric trade package look like using Seravalli's reported asking price?

Here are a few hypotheticals:

  • 2022 or 2023 first-round pick, forward prospect Fabian Lysell, plus a middle-round pick
  • 2022 or 2023 first-round pick, defenseman prospect Mason Lohrei, plus a middle-round pick

The only two Bruins prospects who should be considered "Grade A" are Lysell and Lohrei. Lysell is the better prospect and could become a top-six star at right wing for the Bruins. Lohrei is having a tremendous season at Ohio State as a big, physical, two-way presence. He has top-four d-man potential. 

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The quality of Boston's prospect pool drops quite a bit after Lysell and Lohrei. The Bruins' prospect pool was No. 27 out of 32 teams in The Athletic's latest rankings. Therefore, most other teams can offer a more appealing package of prospects to the Ducks in a potential Lindholm trade.

The Bruins shouldn't be giving up Lysell under pretty much any circumstance. Lohrei should be considered only for the right player. Lindholm qualifies, but only if the Bruins are very confident he'll re-sign in the summer. Giving up a prospect of Lohrei's caliber, plus other assets, just for a rental makes absolutely no sense.

Boston's championship window is right now, and it could close over the summer depending on whether Patrice Bergeron retires or returns. Swinging a major move for Lindholm would increase the Bruins' title chances, and re-signing him would give Boston two excellent top-four defenseman along with Charlie McAvoy.

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