It is a familiar, sinking feeling for the Boston Bruins and their faithful. Just as the defensive rotation appeared to be finding a rhythm, the attrition of an 82-game schedule has intervened.
The news out of the locker room regarding Hampus Lindholm is officially vague, but undeniably concerning. Head coach Marco Sturm has ruled the veteran defenseman out for the immediate future, characterizing the situation as “not a day-to-day thing.” While the team waits to return to Boston for comprehensive testing, the designation of being “out for a little bit” is enough to send a tremor through the depth chart.
For a team navigating a crowded Eastern Conference where only 11 points separate the contenders from the pretenders, losing a 22-minute-a-night anchor is a stress test they can ill afford.
Momentum Halted… Again
The timing of this setback is particularly cruel for Lindholm. After a disjointed start to the campaign, the 31-year-old had finally found his stride. He was arguably playing his best hockey of the season, posting three points in his last two contests and generally looking like the transition engine the Bruins need him to be.
There is a bizarre element to this latest knock: Lindholm finished the recent overtime victory against the Vancouver Canucks. He logged over 22 minutes, took his regular shifts, and didn’t appear visibly hobbled in the handshake line. Whatever occurred, the adrenaline has worn off, and the reality has set in.
Unfortunately, this fits a troubling pattern for the blueliner. Lindholm’s tenure in Boston has been marred by significant interruptions recently. He lost the majority of the 2024-25 season to a broken kneecap — a gruesome injury suffered while blocking a shot — and has already missed pockets of time this season due to upper-body issues and other undisclosed ailments.
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The cumulative effect of these injuries has already cost him a roster spot on Team Sweden for the upcoming Olympics in February. Now, it threatens to cost the Bruins stability during a critical stretch of the regular season.
The Shuffle: Plugs, Holes, and Returns
Lindholm isn’t a player you simply replace; you redistribute his responsibilities and hope the structure holds. He ranks second on the team in ice time (22:10 TOI/G), eating up difficult minutes in all situations. Removing that piece forces a cascading reshuffle that exposes the thinner parts of the roster.
There is one stroke of relative good fortune here: Henri Jokiharju is ready to return. After missing 16 games, Jokiharju draws back in at the exact moment Lindholm exits. The coaching staff is expected to reunite him with Nikita Zadorov. That pairing showed legitimate chemistry late last season, and if they can rekindle that reliability quickly, it stabilizes the middle of the lineup.
However, the ripple effects elsewhere are riskier.
With Lindholm out, Jonathan Aspirot is being promoted to the top pair to skate alongside Charlie McAvoy. It is a massive opportunity for Aspirot, but asking him to handle top-pairing opposition minutes is a gamble. McAvoy can elevate anyone he plays with, but he can only cover so much ice.
The “Adventure” on the Bottom Pair
The most concern, however, lies with the newly formed third pairing. With the deck shuffled, the Bruins are likely rolling out Mason Lohrei alongside Andrew Peeke.
To put it mildly, this duo could be an adventure.
Peeke has struggled to find consistency recently, battling the kind of defensive lapses that get magnified when the team is under pressure. Lohrei, while undeniably talented and improving, has largely been sheltered this season. He has been put in positions to succeed offensively while being protected from the league’s heavy hitters.
Thrusting a struggling veteran and a sheltered youngster together creates a target for opposing coaches. You can bet that opposing lines will try to force favorable matchups against this duo, specifically on defensive zone draws.
More Than Just Minutes
The loss of Lindholm goes beyond the time on the clock; it’s about how the Bruins play. Despite their position in the standings, the Bruins’ underlying metrics have been mediocre this season. They sit in the bottom third of the league regarding shot attempts and expected goal differential.
They spend too much time chasing the puck in their own end.
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Lindholm is one of the few defenders on the roster capable of breaking that cycle. His primary asset is his ability to exit the zone cleanly — either by skating the puck out of trouble or making a crisp first pass. Without him, the burden falls entirely on McAvoy to drive transition. If the Bruins can’t move the puck, they spend more time defending. And if they spend more time defending with a diluted lineup, the cracks in the foundation will widen.
No Margin for Error
The Bruins are currently trying to tread water. They are in the mix, but they aren’t comfortable. Losing a top-three defenseman removes their margin for error. They don’t have the offensive firepower to simply outscore their defensive mistakes, especially if the penalty kill takes a hit without one of its primary operators.
Coach Sturm has to push the right buttons here. He needs Jokiharju to be up to speed immediately. He needs Aspirot to play simple, mistake-free hockey. And he needs to find a way to hide that third pairing.
If Lindholm is back in a week, this is a blip. If “not day-to-day” stretches into weeks or a month, the Bruins might find themselves sliding from “playoff hopefuls” to “deadline sellers” faster than anyone in Boston wants to admit.
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