Bruins spend big in NHL free agency, signs center Elias Lindholm to a seven-year deal
The Boston Bruins had money to spend ahead of NHL free agency, and general manager Don Sweeney cut a big check for center Elias Lindholm.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the news of Lindholm’s signing, while The Athletic’s Chris Johnston had the terms before other media members.
"As soon as Boston came into the picture, it was an easy decision for me,” said Lindholm to reporters on Zoom. "Looking at their playoff series against Boston, they're pretty much right there."
Sweeney signed two-way center Elias Lindholm to a seven-year deal worth $7.75 million per season. The move gives Boston a true No. 1 center that should pair with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
“We’d like to deepen the middle of the ice,” Sweeney said on Thursday ahead of free agency at noon on Monday. “So that’s where we’ve been focused to have those talks with our group, to say, ‘OK, who would be the guy?’ And hopefully make the pitch at the right time that we could add a player like that, of that nature. And we’ll continue to look to strengthen our backend and complement the group we have there.”
Lindholm split last season with the Flames and Canucks, scoring 15 goals and 44 points in 75 games.
The addition of Lindholm gives the Bruins a legitimate center for their top-six pairing. He also has three top-10 Selke finishes, including finishing in second place behind Patrice Bergeron in 2022.
With Lindholm under contract, Boston also has Charlie Coyle and Matt Poitras as true center options on the roster. The team can still rotate Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, and Trent Frederic between the wing and center.
