If there was a clear No. 1 need for the Boston Bruins in free agency this summer, it was a true top center. GM Don Sweeney knew exactly what his team needed and he knew exactly who he wanted and he got him.
Less than an hour after free agency opened on July 1, Elias Lindholm agreed to a seven-year contract with the Black and Gold with an AAV of $7.75 million. He has been the guy that Sweeney has been trying to get for some time through a trade, but his patience to wait for him (and hoping) he hit free agency would come true and he pounced quickly.
Lindholm is going to benefit the roster for third-year head coach Jim Montgomery who has a player who can play in all situations and after struggling following a trade from the Calgary Flames last summer to the Vancouver Canucks, the Bruins are hoping to the Calgary version from their new pivot. Some players on the roster are going to benefit greatly from his addition and these are the top three players who stand to benefit the most in 2024-25.
David Pastrnak
Last season David Pastrnak led the Bruins in scoring with 47 goals, 14 shy of his 61 goals the previous season. Scoring has not been much of an issue, but now that he has a playmaker in Liondholm to center him, look for Pastrnak to eclipse his total from 2023-24.
Lindholm is a versatile forward who had four seasons of 30-plus assists with the Flames, including 51 in 2018-19 and he was doing that on a team that was not always in the postseason. Putting him next to Pastrnak both at even strength and on the power play will create more opportunities for him and open the ice. This was the best player available in free agency that you can put with Pastrnak for the future and see him continue to be one of the best offensive players in the NHL.
Charlie Coyle
Nothing against Charlie Coyle as he did a good job last season replacing Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, however, if there is one thing we have learned from the Weymouth native's time with the Black and Gold it's that he is a much better player down the lineup.
His ideal spot would be centering the third line as he has proven to get the best out of Trent Frederic over the last couple of seasons when they have been slotted together. Now with Lindholm on board, Coyle should fit in the middle-six as a center, but again, seeing him play with Frederic and the chemistry they seemed to have formed over the last couple of seasons would be the best fit. If youngster Matthew Poitras was ever able to step and solidify the second-line pivot spot would be even better for Coyle and the Bruins.
One thing to watch when camp begins is where Montgomery plays in the lineup after collecting 60 points last season and averaging a career-high 18:03 a night.
Pavel Zacha
Last season Pavel Zacha was forced to play a lot at center for the Bruins, but the best version of Pavel Zacha the Black and Gold got was when he was on the wing. Signing Lindholm with Coyle, Poitras, and John Beecher down the middle along with the addition of Mark Kastelic from the Ottawa Senators in the Linus Ullmark trade will allow Zacha to shift out to the wing.
Projected to be the Bruins left wing on the top line with Lindholm and Pastrnak, Zacha has an opportunity to excel with his linemates. When Zacha has been on the wing with Boston following a trade from the New Jersey Devils, he made the biggest impact wearing the Spoked-B. When all is said and done, Zacha might benefit the most from Lindholm's addition.
This was certainly an addition that Sweeney and the Bruins needed and it should improve their lineup greatly in 2024-25 and beyond.
