The free agency frenzy has come and gone and the Boston Bruins made some waves. When the clock struck noon, former Vancouver Canucks forwards Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov signed on the dotted line and are shipping up to Boston. Lindholm is locked in for the next seven years ($7.75 million per season) and Zadorov for six years ($5 million per season). General manager Don Sweeney managed to land some of the bigger fish on the open market. There were also several depth moves to be made, but these two were the more significant of the signings. The depth moves were Max Jones, Cole Koepke, Jordan Oesterle, Billy Sweezey, and Jeffrey Truchon-Viel. When the dust settled, Sweeney addressed the media talking about the signings. He went on to say, “I think we’re trying to check off the boxes of being internally competitive.” This doesn’t just go for Lindholm and Zadorov, but the other guys as well.
This free agency was much different than last season. The Bruins were stuck with the bonus overages from the Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci contracts, leaving them with little financial wiggle room. This summer, they came in with money to spend and the chequebook open. Now that the dust has settled and the players are slotted in, it’s time to take a look at the significance of these signings and what fit they have in the lineup.
Nikita Zadorov Adds Toughness
Talk about bringing back the mantra of the “Big Bad Bruins”. It feels like a lifetime ago that the Bruins had an in-your-face smothering physical defenseman. You even go back to the 2011 Stanley Cup championship team, almost every defenseman was that type of player. Captain Zdeno Chara, Adam McQuaid, Dennis Seidenberg, Johnny Boychuk, and even Andrew Ference were never afraid to muck it up and get in the opponent’s face. Adding Zadorov gives the Bruins an element they’ve been missing and more toughness to the back end.
Related: 2 Centers the Bruins Should Target in Free Agency
Zadorov is a tower of a player, as he stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 248 pounds. He uses his big frame to his advantage and it plays into his physicality. He finished 55th among all skaters with 117 hits and the only Bruins player to finish with more was Trent Frederic. However, he is more than his physicality and his ability to clear out bodies in front of the Bruins’ net. He loves the chaos and will have no issue getting into a scrum.
Zadorov is primarily a shutdown defenseman. He is one of those players that the opponents know when he is on the ice. To be a forechecker and going hard after a dumped-in puck has to be a scary thought with him lurking. For a bigger guy, he skates well and is good with the puck on his stick, as he does a good job of pushing the play forward. His impacts aren’t the most notable with production, but he has not been shy about scoring goals. The only knock on him is his lack of discipline as he finished with the fourth-most penalty minutes last season. Fortunately, the Bruins’ penalty kill is strong, but if Zadorov can limit those they’ll be in good shape.
At the end of the day, the Bruins are beefing up their back end and adding a player that can play on any defensive pairing. Also, he can play in multiple situations and is a shutdown defenseman. He will be a great complementary partner for franchise defenseman Charlie McAvoy. The Bruins now have a towering back end with every player well above six feet tall. Sweeney identified a need and went out and addressed it. The same can be said for Lindholm.
Elias Lindholm Adds Center Depth
Up next is Lindholm, who was one of the top centers on the open market. When the Bruins lost Bergeron and Krejci to retirement, questions loomed over how they would cope with that kind of loss. Instead, they saw Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle take the next step in their game. Together, they combined for 117 points and were able to help anchor their respective lines. Also, they got a jolt from rookie Matthew Poitras. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury derailed his season, but he was an instrumental part of the team’s success.
However, during the postseason things took a turn. Zacha and Coyle combined for two goals and Zacha even saw himself shift over to the left wing. Also, David Pastrnak led the team in faceoff win percentage. That’s not an ideal scenario, which now leads us to Lindholm.
It is certainly a gamble that Sweeney is taking, but a gamble worth taking. The Bruins need center depth and Lindholm is the best available. He is a player that has played the top center role and has had success with it. Also, he is responsible defensively, which is huge for the Bruins and something that’s made them successful for over a decade. The biggest element of his game is his ability to win faceoffs. Between his time with the Calgary Flames and Canucks, he finished with a 56.4 faceoff winning percentage. His ability to win faceoffs is huge, which can also lead to control of possession. For the Bruins, that is significant considering they were middle of the pack in puck possession during the 2023-24 season (47.03 Corsi for percentage).
There’s a Plan for Lindholm
It did not take long, but there is a plan for where to place Lindholm. It seems that the Bruins plan to move Zacha to the left wing and have Lindholm center the top line with Pastrnak on the right. In today’s NHL, it is quite common for centers to be able to play wing, which gives the coach options for setting a lineup. Morgan Geekie can play wing but also center and the same with Trent Frederic. Having that versatility is key and it allows the Bruins to upgrade their top-six.
This could do wonders, as Lindholm has shown what he can do when playing with top talent. During the 2021-22 season, he had his best season offensively. While flanked by Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk, he finished with 42 goals and 82 points. He had a 64-point season in 2022-23 but saw a significant drop in 2023-24. However, playing with a superstar in Pastrnak should get him back on track.
Pastrnak is coming off back-to-back 100-plus point seasons. This also comes with 61 goals he scored during the 2022-23 season. Having a premier shooter like Pastrnak is a huge benefit to a player like Lindholm and the Bruins can reap the benefits of having a legitimate top-line center.
Bruins Capitalized on Needs
Having money to spend is a good thing, but it’s not about how much you spend but what you spend it on. Sweeney successfully identified the needs in the lineup and went out and got them. Both players come as significant upgrades over what was in place and give the Bruins added depth.
The team did lose players such as Danton Heinen, Jake DeBrusk, and Derek Forbort. Although, with that vacant spot where DeBrusk was slotted, they’ll look towards youngsters such as Fabian Lysell to take that role. The next priority is Jeremy Swayman, but for now, it’s great to see what’s coming to Boston for the 2024-25 season.
