LOS ANGELES — Elias Lindholm knows how disappointed Bruins fans are, and he shares their frustration.
Boston’s marquee free-agent signing in the summer of 2024, Lindholm hoped to reestablish himself as a top-tier, two-way center upon returning to the Eastern Conference.
His reputation as a dependable player in all three zones drew comparisons to Bruins legend Patrice Bergeron, someone Lindholm openly admired and sought to emulate.
Like Bergeron, Lindholm excelled defensively, controlled the neutral zone, and showcased offensive creativity. He was a force in faceoffs, contributed on both the power play and penalty kill, and was willing to battle around the net.
These qualities led the Bruins to sign him to a seven-year, $54.25 million contract with an annual cap hit of $7.75 million.
During a fan event in Maine last summer, then-coach Jim Montgomery envisioned Lindholm centering a high-powered top line with David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha, something he had spent hours thinking about.
A Season of Struggles
Unfortunately for Lindholm and the Bruins, things haven’t gone as planned. While he remains solid in faceoffs, reliable defensively, and a key penalty killer, his offensive production has lagged. With just 13 goals and 37 points, Lindholm has been unable to spark a team that is mired in a six-game losing streak and appears on track to miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
“In this sport, you put a lot of pressure on yourself,” Lindholm told the Boston Globe. “When things aren’t going your way, you at least hope the team is succeeding, and that’s not happening this year. It’s frustrating. You feel like if I had played a little better, we could have had more points and been in playoff position. But you can’t dwell on it now—you just move forward and do whatever we can.”
A training camp injury on the first day slowed Lindholm’s transition to Boston, preventing him from establishing early chemistry with Pastrnak and Zacha. As a result, the Bruins frequently shuffled their lines in the first month.
A Season of Change
Ultimately, Montgomery was dismissed after an 8-9-3 start, signaling the beginning of a major shakeup. With the playoffs slipping away, general manager Don Sweeney made the difficult decision to part ways with longtime core players Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic.
For Lindholm, those departures weighed heavily. He couldn’t shake the feeling that his struggles contributed to those franchise-altering moves.
“It’s tough,” he admitted. “I look at myself first, and if I had played better, maybe we’d be in a better spot and those guys would still be here. But it’s part of the business. Now we have a young team, and we have to focus on finishing strong in these last few games.”
Leaning on Family
Lindholm has relied on his family to get through the tough season.
“When I’m home, my mind isn’t always on hockey,” he said. “Of course, you think about results, but our house is busy, so that helps keep my mind off things.”
Lindholm and his wife, Annica, welcomed their second son, Luka, shortly after moving to Boston. Their eldest, Levi, has started to take an interest in hockey, even wearing a Bruins jersey to swim lessons and asking for a stick.
“He loves it,” Lindholm said. “He’s really into it now, and I try to play with him as much as I can. Obviously, with this job, I miss a lot, but hopefully in a few years, I’ll be more involved and help him start skating.”
Looking Ahead
The Bruins had a scheduled day off on Monday and will resume practice in Anaheim on Tuesday. They wrap up their West Coast road trip Wednesday against the Ducks before finishing in Detroit on Saturday night.
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