How the Offseason Stacks Up for Ducks RFA Gustav Lindstrom
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Gustav Lindstrom was placed on waivers by the Montreal Canadiens on Jan 9 and claimed a day later by the Anaheim Ducks, where he cracked the lineup 32 times in the team's final 40 games of the 2023-24 season.
Lindstrom provided an immediate and steady impact on the Ducks' third pair of their defensive core down the season's home stretch.
Lindstrom's one-year, $950k contract expired at the end of the 2023-24 season and he's now a restricted free agent with arbitration rights. If the Ducks intend to keep his signing rights, they must extend a $997,500 qualifying offer before July 1. If they elect not to, he will become an unrestricted free agent who can sign with any team that offers him a contract.
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| Player (age) | 2023-24 Statistics (Games Played, Goals+Assists=Points) | Qualifying Offer |
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Gustav Lindstrom (38th overall in 2017) was drafted in the second round by the Detroit Red Wings. He was traded to the Montreal Canadiens in August along with a fourth round pick in exchange for defenseman Jeff Petry. He began the 2023-24 season playing four games in the AHL for Laval Rocket before his recall to the NHL, where he played 14 games before he was eventually placed on waivers and claimed by Anaheim.
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Though he was moderately productive in Sweden's U18 and U20 divisions prior to his draft year (2017), he didn't have the profile of a significant point-producer at the NHL level. Instead, his well-rounded two-way game and 6-foot-2, 183 point frame allowed him the opportunity to play in Sweden's top professional leagues against grown men at a young age.
Lindstrom made the jump from the SHL to North America for the 2019-20 season to play in the Red Wings organization, mostly in the AHL. That timeline coincided with now Ducks General Manager Pat Verbeek's tenure as Detroit's Assistant GM.
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Verbeek was AGM for the Red Wings for two and a half seasons and also served as General Manager of their AHL affiliate (Grand Rapids Griffins) before accepting the job as GM of the Ducks. In his time with Detroit's organization, Verbeek became extremely familiar with Lindstrom's game.
In his 32 games with the Ducks, Lindstrom averaged 15:27 TOI, almost exclusively at 5v5 on their bottom defensive pair and ranked third among the team's defensemen in on-ice expected goals percentage at 5v5 with 46.6%.
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Consistency was a rare commodity among all Anaheim players in 2023-24, and Lindstrom was no exception. His most consistent defensive partner was Urho Vaakanainen, with whom he shared the ice for 175 minutes.
Lindstrom, while not flashy in the slightest, has shown reliable fundamentals and understanding of defensive concepts and rudimentary offense. He can fend off a forecheck deep in the defensive zone before moving a puck to a first outlet option on a breakout. He displays textbook gaps and an active stick against the rush, and is consistently on his assignment's hip when in defensive zone coverage.
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While the Ducks have an abundance of left-shots on their blueline, they lack depth on the right. Radko Gudas is set to be the only returning RHD from 2023-24. Pat Verbeek has stated Tristan Luneau (20) is expected to play the 2024-25 season in the NHL. Those two are the extent of the depth chart. Drew Helleson (23) and Noah Warren (19) will also be competing for NHL minutes in 2024-25.
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Pat Verbeek has stated his intention to add a top-four right-shot defenseman during the offseason, but there's still a spot up for grabs. Lindstrom has likely shown enough to remain as a 6/7th defenseman on the Ducks until one of the younger players like Helleson, Luneau, or Warren seizes the position.
For the ability to retain his rights, Pat Verbeek must offer Lindstrom a qualifying offer of $997,500 before July 1. Quality depth on the right side of the blueline is a scarce commodity in the NHL for most teams. Verbeek will have to decide if the price of his QO is worth the stability Lindstrom could provide to the bottom of the Ducks lineup on defense. This negotiation could go either way.
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