We are getting closer and closer to the official start of the Boston Bruins 2026-2027 season. The Bruins began their preseason with a 3-2 shootout win over the Washington Capitals Sunday at TD Garden.
Boston will drop the puck for the regular season opener on Tuesday, September 29th against the New York Rangers. ESPN will broadcast that game.
And while quite a few players will have the spotlight on them this year, none will be under more scrutiny than Elias Lindholm. Two years into his seven-year deal worth just over $54 million, the centerman has been underwhelming.
In 151 games donning the Spoked-B, Lindholm has potted 34 goals and dished out 61 assists. He has failed to crack the 50-point plateau in either of his 2 seasons in Boston.
While on the surface, his numbers are not that far off what you would expect from a middle-six center who is responsible in all three zones and valuable defensively. There are two factors that have made Lindholm the recipient of ire from Bruins fans.
The first being his contract. His annual cap hit of over seven million is a hefty price to pay a forward for less than 20 goals and 50 points a season. Even with his valuable play on the faceoff dot and in defensive situations, the Bruins are not getting enough in return to justify this deal.
Another hot-button topic involving Lindholm has been where he has often played in the Bruins’ lineup. For much of his time in Boston, Lindholm has skated with David Pastrnak on the Bruins’ top line.
Pastrnak has been elite these past two seasons, reaching the century mark in points both times. And yet, Lindholm has not been able to consistently take advantage of Pastrnak’s elite playmaking and offensive skill set.
At times toward the end of last season, Lindholm was bumped down to the third line. But so far in training camp, Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm has been having Lindholm center Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.
If that is the plan going into the season, then Lindholm cannot be a passenger on that line. He will need to contribute goals or at least help the line sustain a formidable offensive attack.
Geekie has proven to be an elite NHL goal scorer, and Pastrnak is a world-class talent. So, it is crucial that Lindholm consistently factors into the first line’s point production.
If he gets off to a slow start, the Bruins coaching staff should not be too stubborn on the line combinations. As frustrating as it would be to have Lindholm on the third line making as much as he does, Boston has some younger centers with high offensive upside competing for roles in training camp.
Fraser Minten has proven to be a capable NHL player, and James Hagens is one of the most exciting offensive Bruins prospects in years. If Lindholm proves not to be an effective number one center, there are other options to turn to.
Lindholm can be valuable to the Bruins without gaudy offensive numbers. But he will need to be a serviceable part of Boston’s offensive output for the Bruins to return to the postseason.
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