2024 NHL free agents: Bruins, Elias Lindholm agree to 7-year contract originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Bruins have landed a top-six center on the first day of NHL free agency, signing Elias Lindholm to a seven-year, $54.25 million contract, according to The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.
The contract has a salary cap of $7.75 million.
Elias Lindholm signs a seven-year contract with #browns with an AAV of $7.75 million.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 1, 2024
Lindholm was one of the best free agent forwards on the market.
The 29-year-old veteran scored 44 points (15 goals, 29 assists) in 75 games between the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks last season. He had a bigger impact in the Canucks’ playoff run, scoring 10 points (five goals, five assists) in 13 games.
Below is Lindholm’s offensive production over the past six seasons:
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Lindholm is more of a No. 2 center then a No. 1, but he has the potential to be a very good player in Boston due to his impressive two-way skillset. Not only should Lindholm be able to put up around 50-70 points per season, he can also be trusted to play Selke Trophy-caliber defense and excel on faceoffs.
The Bruins ranked 21st in faceoff win percentage last season — a significant drop from their second-place finish during Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci’s final seasons in 2022-23. Lindholm won 56.4 percent of his faceoffs last season, which ranked ninth in the league among players who took more than 1,000 draws. He also won about 56 percent of his defensive zone faceoffs.
With Lindholm in the fold, the Bruins could make him and Charlie Coyle the top-six centers and move Pavel Zacha to the wing. They could also have Lindholm and Zacha fill the top-six center roles and move Coyle back to the third-line center position. There are basically a lot of different combinations that head coach Jim Montgomery could be considering right now.
Overall, the Bruins have added another very good center to the mix: someone who can contribute at a high level in all three zones and on both special teams units.
