By: Andrew Bluestein | Follow Me On Twitter @adbblue
The Boston Bruins did not have the 2024-25 campaign that they wanted. They had the fourth-worst goal differential at -50 and allowed the seventh-most goals in the league.
Losing defenseman Hampus Lindholm to a season-ending knee injury on November 12th against the St. Louis Blues was a huge blow to the backend. The team never found their footing defensively after that.
Lindholm has a career average time on ice per game of 22:20, logging a lot of minutes. While mostly known for his puck-moving ability, the big Swedish blue-liner is one of the league’s most positionally sound defensemen. The Bruins were exploited a large number of times in their zone, and the absence of Lindholm was noticeable.
That is exactly why the Black and Gold need him to be healthy going into the 2025-26 season. Getting the former first-round pick back will reinforce the defensive pairings and re-add an element of two-way play they were sorely lacking. Lindholm’s vision and ability to make plays make him so important to the Bruins’ lineup.
His stretch passes on breakouts are something very few defensemen in the league can do, and it leads to clean zone entries and offense. He’s also a great lateral puck mover, which is beneficial in the offensive zone and on the power play.
Fellow teammate and defenseman Charlie McAvoy also suffered a season-ending injury at the Four Nations tournament against Finland in Montreal. The Bruins getting back their two most important pieces on the blue line is crucial, and it will help patch up mistakes made this past season.
Leave a Reply