We understand if Patrice Bergeron is relieved Hampus Lindholm now is his teammate.
The Boston Bruins captain detailed what makes the newly acquired defenseman so difficult to play against Wednesday at a press conference. Although the Bruins played Lindholm's former team, the Anaheim Ducks, just twice per season, Bergeron saw enough of the 28-year-old to offer a scouting report on him.
"A player who's still young but he's been around for a while," Bergeron said after Lindholm's first Bruins practice, per the team's website. "He's got a lot of experience and also plays the game well. He's a really smart overall defenseman, and he seems like a great guy, a great fit so far ... it seems like he brings a lot of energy, seems to be upbeat and a great player as well.
"I think he closes really fast on guys. Defensively, he doesn't work for no reason, meaning that he's always in good position. And I think he's good in transition ... you can't really sustain pressure in the zone because he's always finding a way to kind of poke the puck out or break out or go back on the offense by making a smart play. And that's frustrating when you're playing against a guy like that."
Bergeron, 36, has been around the NHL long enough to recognize the characteristics of a standout defenseman and he believes Lindholm has them.
"If you're able to have a good stick but also anticipate where the play is gonna go, where the puck is gonna go, it's extremely hard to play against," Bergeron said. "And it's frustrating, too, because he seems to be always there. I see a lot of that in Hampus, where he's smart, skates well, he's got a good stick, he's big, he's tall, he's got a long stick, so he's one of those guys who's hard to play against."
The Bruins landed Lindholm on Saturday in a trade with the Ducks and promptly signed him to an eight-year contract extension. He's expected to debut with the Bruins on Thursday at TD Garden when they host the Tampa Bay Lightning as Charlie McAvoy's partner on Boston's top defensive pairing. Bergeron seems happy to see Lindholm in that position, instead of anywhere else.
