Details are starting to come out about the contractual impasse between Anaheim and prized young defenseman Hampus Lindholm.
Fresh off an appearance with Team Sweden at the World Cup, Lindholm -- a still-unsigned RFA -- is reportedly seeking “more than $6 million per season over eight years,” according to the O.C. Register.
The 22-year-old is currently in Sweden training with SHL club Rogle BK, the team he played for prior to getting drafted sixth overall in 2012.
Lindholm is coming off his three-year, entry-level deal, one that carried a cap hit of $894,166.
The Ducks are in a bit of a financial squeeze and also need to sort out another RFA -- versatile forward Rickard Rakell -- so it’s understandable why negotiations with Lindholm have been drawn out.
That said, they’re not going to want to drag feet much longer.
Lindholm is a budding star on defense, coming off a year in which he scored a career-best 10 goals and 28 points in 80 games, averaging 22 minutes per night. He was also a huge part of Anaheim’s run to Game 7 of the Western Conference Final the previous spring, scoring 10 points in 16 games while increasing his ice time to 23:15.
According to the Register, the “feeling” is that Anaheim’s closer to a deal with Rakell than Lindholm. And on that note, it’s worth mentioning the Ducks make their season debut in two weeks -- on Oct. 13, with a road date in Dallas.