( Photo Credit: David Kirouac / Imagn Images )

By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan

Zero points, two penalty minutes, and a minus-four rating in four games. As fellow Black N’ Gold Productions contributor Ryan Bosworth pointed out in his recent article, Elias Lindholm’s performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics was disappointing for him and Team Sweden.

How was this so, considering he’s had a healthy 11 goals and 26 assists so far with the Boston Bruins in league play this season? Truthfully, aside from the recent injury issues having an effect, the fact that national teams are together for only a short time has a huge impact on a foundational player like Lindholm.

Lindholm Does More for Others Than for Himself

For an aging but effective puck hounder, a team’s system means more to their game than anything else. If teammates are unsynchronized or cheating for individual opportunities, Lindholm won’t have as much of an impact on the flow of the forecheck as he usually does.

When he’s producing on and off the stat sheet, he’s winning puck battles on the sidewalls and constantly freeing up the puck for his linemates. That makes way for an increased output on and off the stat sheet, and also provides a great example for linemates young and old to follow.

Now that National Hockey League play resumes, it’s going to be a huge help to the Bruins and their systematic approach to have Lindholm around for the second-half ramp-up. He will continue to contribute to the more agile forecheck they’ve adjusted to and plan to maximize.

The criticism of his output now compared to earlier seasons with the Calgary Flames will always be somewhat valid, but at this point, his inherent willingness to go to the dirty areas is a benefit that reaches beyond himself. The more Lindholm is on the ice, the more the ice will naturally tilt in the Bruins’ favor going forward.