Bruins swing big for their past with Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov signings

BRIGHTON, Mass. — Elias Lindholm wanted to make something clear. He was not saying he was Patrice Bergeron. 

But Lindholm, signed to a seven-year, $54.25 million contract by the Boston Bruins on Monday, acknowledged stylistic overlap with the future Hall of Famer in terms of three-zone detail. The Bruins would be just fine with that.

“I don’t want to compare myself or anything like that,” Lindholm said on a Zoom call. “But I think I can bring a little bit of what he did. I want to try to come there and bring my game, come back to the player I know I can be, and hopefully help this team achieve a Stanley Cup.”

Nikita Zadorov, meanwhile, becomes the franchise’s closest approximation to Zdeno Chara since the former captain concluded his Boston run in 2020. The 6-foot-6, 248-pound defenseman, who signed a six-year, $30 million contract, enjoys bringing the pain. He thrives in close-quarters combat. Zadorov concluded his nickname, however, has approached its end.

“Please, do not ever call me ‘Big Z,’” Zadorov said on a separate Zoom call, noting how teammates and opponents referred to Chara. “I’m not even close to half of Big Z.”

Nikita Zadorov sends Evander Kane into the Oilers bench. (Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)

Throw in the fact that Matt Poitras, whose east-west playmaking reminds the Bruins of David Krejci, declared on Monday that he’s feeling good and getting stronger following shoulder surgery, and the organization appears to be advancing by embracing its past.

The Bruins also signed Max Jones, Cole Koepke, Jordan Oesterle, Billy Sweezey and Jeffrey Viel. Of this cohort, Jones, the No. 24 pick from 2016, is most likely to make the varsity in 2024-25, perhaps as the No. 4 left wing.

The Bruins started the day with approximately $23 million in cap space. Depending on who makes the opening roster, the Bruins should have around $9 million left to re-sign Jeremy Swayman with plenty of breathing room. The No. 1 goalie reached restricted status on Monday. He is eligible to file for arbitration for a second straight year.

Lindholm, 29, has long been a Bruins favorite. They inquired about his availability shortly after the Carolina Hurricanes selected him at No. 5 in 2013. They raised their eyes in 2021-22, when Lindholm scored a career-best 40 goals and 42 assists while centering Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk.

So this past season, when the Calgary Flames put Lindholm, a pending unrestricted free agent, on the trade market, general manager Don Sweeney put his hand up. The Vancouver Canucks won that competition. 

But when the Canucks opted not to bring Lindholm back, the Bruins identified a possible No. 1 center to ride with David Pastrnak, take faceoffs, kill penalties and work the bumper position on the first power-play unit.

Sound familiar?

“He’s only played in a top-line role and situations,” Sweeney said of Lindholm and his Bergeron-like responsibilities. “Now he’s got a chance to go play with Pasta like he might have had with Gaudreau and Tkachuk. The bumper spot on our power play is an area where Elias is going to fit in seamlessly. And he wins his draws. So you start to realize that, ‘OK, there’s a little bit of what we had and what we’ve missed.’”

The Bruins expect Lindholm to execute Bergeron-like duties away from the puck. During his benchmark 2021-22 season, Lindholm led all Calgary forwards with 19:57 of ice time per game, including 2:53 on the power play and 2:07 on the penalty kill. Lindholm also won 52.9 percent of his faceoffs.

“He does everything right,” said Zadorov, Lindholm’s teammate in Calgary and Vancouver. 

The red flag is Lindholm’s six-goal, 12-point output in 26 games for the Canucks following his arrival. The trade and his pending uncertainty may have muted his production.

“It definitely affected me more than I was hoping,” Lindholm said. “I’m glad now that time is over. Now I know for a long time where I’m going to be.”

Zadorov could be Charlie McAvoy’s top-pair partner. He is a stay-at-home defender who can handle first-line matchups. Zadorov scored five goals and 14 points in 54 games for the Canucks while averaging 17:04 of ice time per outing. He averaged 1:33 of short-handed ice time per game. Dark-alley play is his specialty.

“It’s a big league,” said Zadorov. “We talk between the guys all the time. Everybody talks about their experience in the past teams. I haven’t heard a bad thing in my 11 years about the Bruins culture, the Bruins teams and the players who’ve played here.”

Zadorov’s presence and length should take some forechecking heat off McAvoy. In turn, McAvoy should have more freedom to go up the ice.

McAvoy was a negative possession player in 2023-24 for the first time in his career. Bringing McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm back to their expected thresholds in 2024-25 is a priority. Zadorov should help.

With Zadorov occupying the top-pair spot, Lindholm could return to his second-pair position next to Brandon Carlo. Mason Lohrei could take third-pair shifts next to Andrew Peeke.

“This group as a whole, I think we can tease a little more offense out of it,” Sweeney said. “So if you’re going to allow Charlie and Hampus to get back to hopefully the level he’s capable of from one year to the next, I think you have to have that depth to allow Mason to continue to grow and expand his footprint in the game.”

The Bruins remain short on scoring on the wing. It is a position weakened by the departure of Jake DeBrusk, who signed a seven-year, $38.5 million contract with the Vancouver Canucks. DeBrusk scored 19 goals last season. The Bruins also said goodbye to Danton Heinen (17 goals, Canucks) and James van Riemsdyk (11 goals, unsigned).

That is the reality of the $88 million salary cap. The Bruins targeted center and defense as their top priorities, acknowledging that it would come at the cost of pursuing an impact wing.

Pavel Zacha could be the left wing for Lindholm and Pastrnak. Zacha was Pastrnak’s left wing in 2022-23, his first season as a Bruin, before playing center for most of last season.

This would allow Charlie Coyle to center the No. 2 line between Brad Marchand and Trent Frederic. Poitras and Morgan Geekie could compete for third-line center duty. Geekie can also play right wing. 

“The pie is only so big,” said Sweeney of not being able to sign a top-six wing. “That’s what happens.”

(Top photos of Nikita Zadorov and Elias Lindholm: Derek Cain and Codie McLachlan / Getty Images)