For a couple of off-seasons leading into last summer, all we heard was all the cap space that Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney was going to have. He was going to be able to swing big and land a couple of big names to bolster his team’s roster. He did that with a pair of former Vancouver Canucks’ center Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov.
It’s safe to say that neither player had the season that they or the Bruins were hoping they would have. Was it all Lindholm’s fault, or did the organization misread their spot in the lineup, or was it just a bad year? Let’s break it down.
Elias Lindholm’s Performance
When he inked his deal, which carries a $7.75 million AAV, there were questions as to just where in the lineup he was going to fit in. Some people thought that it was an overpay by Boston and that Lindholm is not a true No. 1 center, and they may be right. Or was he playing the season with an injury sustained in training camp?
Lindholm missed part of training camp with a back injury, and truth be told, he never looked right this whole season. He ended up dropping in the Bruins' lineup under both former coach Jim Montgomery and interim coach Joe Sacco. By the end of the year, he was playing better with Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak on the top line following a flurry of moves at the trade deadline by Sweeney. Lindholm finished with 17 goals and 30 assists this season, and he was very critical of his play early in the season.
Elias Lindholm Moving Forward
There is not much to say here as there is no team that would be willing to take on that contract, right now. So the Bruins fans have to grin and bare that Lindholm will be back. How he comes back remains to be seen.
A first full off-season in Boston could do wonders for Lindholm as well. He is going to be a big part of the lineup down the middle for the Black and Gold and just where he slots in the lineup will depend on free agency and any trades that are made by Sweeney. A new coach is also likely coming in, and will they keep Geekie, Lindholm, and Pasternak together after all the success they had down the stretch?
Elias Lindholm: C+
