By: Ryan Bosworth | Follow me on Twitter/X @RyanJBosworth
Elias Lindholm and Morgan Geekie are two of Boston’s top guys. They make up 2/3 of the typical top line, which features David Pastrnak on their right wing. As of late, though, they’ve found themselves in a pretty serious funk.
Geekie, who set a new career-high in goals this season, only has three total points (2-1-3) since returning from the Olympic break. Lindholm finds himself in the same boat, only recording three points (1-2-3) as well.
Their slump has been noticeable in all areas of the ice, both 5-on-5 and when on the power play, which has been abysmal recently. The two top players have combined for a whopping zero 5-on-5 points since returning from break.
The Bruins’ coaching staff hasn’t been turning a blind-eye, either. Head coach Marco Sturm has acknowledged the two players’ lacking offensive impact and made his lineup adjustments according, demoting both to the third line next to a rotating left winger, and has promoted both Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov to the top line, playing alongside David Pastrnak.
Sturm hasn’t minced words on two of his top players’ recent lackluster play, specifically following the Bruins’ 4-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, stating, “I feel like all the lines got stuck. I needed a little bit of a push. I thought David [Pastrnak] had a little something, just didn’t get enough help… It was too flat for me today.”
He went on to add that,“Top guys need to be our top guys. In those kind of moments, you need them even more. And unfortunately, we didn’t really have it today. Unfortunate.”
As noted earlier, the Bruins’ power play has been really struggling, and while it isn’t solely on Geekie or Lindholm, they’re both a big part of the Bruins’ first unit. Before the Bruins’ game against Montreal last night, their power play had been operating at just over 11%, having gone 4-for-35.
Morgan Geekie is undoubtedly here to stay. He’s found himself out of a slump before, and has a knack for scoring goals when next to David Pastrnak. Lindholm, though, despite being likely to stick around as well, has certainly found his name within the topic of trades and potential buyouts.
A trade is unlikely, as there aren’t many teams willing to bite on a 31-year-old struggling center at his current price and remaining term. He also has a full no-move clause until the 2029-30 season, where his clause becomes a 10-team no trade list for the final two years of his deal. It would be next to impossible to find a trade partner.
After this season, he’ll still have five years left on his deal, making $7.75 million annually. If the Bruins were to buy Lindholm out, which is a big if, they’d be feeling the cap repercussions for years and years to come. The biggest cap hit they’d take in a single season is $5.33 million in the 2029-30 and 2030-31 seasons. With the rising cap, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it also wouldn’t be ideal.
Whatever direction they take with Lindholm, it isn’t an issue they can ignore. He’s too expensive of a player to bury in the bottom-six, and has shown the potential to be an effective middle-six center.
They need to figure out a way to get him going, especially considering the push they’re making for the playoffs. They have one of the toughest remaining schedules, and if your highest paid center is riding on the third line, playoffs will be a pipe dream.
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