The Boston Bruins have signed forward Elias Lindholm to a seven-year contract worth $7.75 million annually, according to Chris Johnston.
Lindholm as a Forward
Lindholm, the fifth pick of the 2012 NHL Draft by the Carolina Hurricanes, has 218 goals and 557 points in 818 career regular-season NHL games. He spent the first five seasons of his career in Carolina before getting traded to the Calgary Flames in a blockbuster deal that included Adam Fox, Dougie Hamilton, and Noah Hanifin. After six seasons in Calgary, Lindholm was traded at the 2024 Trade Deadline to the Vancouver Canucks where they ultimately fell in Round 2 of the playoffs to the Edmonton Oilers. He scored six goals and 12 points in 24 regular season games and five goals and 10 points in 13 playoff games with the Canucks.
Related: THW’s 2024 Free Agency Tracker
Lindholm has been a center for the majority of his career, owning a 53.5% success rate in the faceoff circle throughout his career. He is a strong, two-way center who excels in all special teams units and at even strength. He is often deployed against the opposing team’s top scorers, shutting them down through elite defensive positioning and footwork.
Lindholm is no slouch offensively, though, as he is a former 42-goal scorer (2021-22). While he has not returned to that 40-goal threshold, he has cemented himself as a reliable 20+ goal, 60+ point producer at an 82-game pace. He has missed just nine regular-season games over his past three seasons, so fans should expect to see his name in the lineup each game.
Fit with the Bruins
Since Patrice Bergeron left the Bruins, the team has needed a first-line center. With Lindholm, they get it. With a lot of players with uncertain futures, the team’s roster for next season is far from complete, but we will likely see Lindholm take Charlie Coyle’s spot as the center between Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
As well, Lindholm will likely see time on the penalty kill. He led Canucks forwards with 163 minutes on the penalty kill last season, good for what would have been second-most on the Bruins (Coyle, 186). While Lindholm’s offensive numbers struggled in Vancouver, he will likely find his footing in Boston and return to a 20+ goal, 65+ point, two-way center.
