Elias Lindholm: Bruins Biggest Offseason Add Knows He’s Been A Big Disappointment

BRIGHTON– There were big expectations when Elias Lindholm came to Boston. He had big expectations for himself.

After signing a seven-year contract worth a total of $54.25 million with the Bruins this offseason–the largest contract the franchise has ever given to an unrestricted free agent– Lindholm was supposed to be the long-term answer at center on the top line that the team has needed since Patrice Bergeron retired.

His playstyle even drew some comparisons to the future Hall of Famer from people both within and outside the organization.

So far, though, Lindholm hasn’t come anywhere close to reaching that lofty mantle.

All he’s been is a big disappointment, and he knows it.

“Overall, I just haven’t been good enough,” Lindholm said. “I wouldn’t put the blame on something else. I got to be better.” 

Lindholm began the year red-hot with five points in his first three games as a member of the Bruins but has essentially burned out since then.

Through 19 games, he’s tallied just nine points. He’s had none in his last four games and hasn’t scored a goal since the third game of the year on Oct. 12 against Los Angeles.

“I think I just got to be more involved,” said Lindholm. “For 60 minutes, I’m not doing too much out there. I’m kind of just skating up and down the ice. I got to be more involved and want the puck more.”

Lindholm has never been the type of player to drive play.

His career high of 82 points in 2021-22 came while he played on a line between Matthew Tkachuk and the late Johnny Gaudreau for the Calgary Flames.

“He’s a complimentary center,” Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery said. “He does great work in the D-zone. He’s in the right place in the neutral zone, and offensively, you see him more at the net front or at the hash marks than you do possessing pucks.”

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The Bruins hoped that Lindholm would develop the same sort of chemistry with David Pastrnak. The two were instantly attached at the hip to start the season, along with Pavel Zacha on the top line, but scored just twice in 12 games while at even strength, according to Natural Stat Trick.

Playing next to Brad Marchand recently, it’s been more of the same from Lindholm.

“It’s hard for them when your center, who’s supposed to drive the line, is not playing good enough, “said Lindholm. “As long as I’m not playing better, it’s going to be hard for them.”

To say the least, it’s been a tumultuous first couple of months in Boston for Lindholm, as have been the last few years altogether.

The 29-year-old has played for three different teams in the last year and a half and lived in both Canada and the U.S. while also spending time in his native Sweden during the offseason. Soon after Lindholm got to Boston in September, he and his wife welcomed their second child all while he nursed a lower-body injury that held him out for the majority of Bruins training camp.

“It’s just a comfort level,” Montgomery said. “On the ice, his routine, who he’s playing with, how we play, and then there’s also off-ice stuff. When you’ve been in a place for a long time, and you switch teams, it’s a whole new city and a whole new vibe. It takes a lot sometimes.”

Nevertheless, the Bruins need more from Lindholm.

“When you’re feeling good about the game, and you have confidence, you’re around the puck more, and you’re in the right spots,” Lindholm. “When you do not have the confidence and things are not going your way, you kind of hide a little bit, and you don’t want the puck. That’s kind of what’s been happening.”

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