The 2025 NHL trade deadline is less than two weeks away, and we still don’t know what path the Boston Bruins will take.
The smartest path would be to sell and move a few veterans and/or upcoming free agents who might not fit into the team’s long-term plans. Then again, the B’s — despite a very disappointing season so far — remain only one point out of a wild card playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings.
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Regardless of what moves general manager Don Sweeney ends up making (or not making), the best way for the Bruins to finish the regular season strong isn’t external additions, it’s internal improvement.
And perhaps no player has more room for improvement than Elias Lindholm.
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The Bruins signed Lindholm to a lucrative seven-year, $54.25 million contract on Day 1 of free agency last July. The Swedish center was expected to be a Patrice Bergeron-like two-way forward who could excel in all situations, although not quite to the level of the former B’s captain, of course.
The Bruins hoped that his declining offensive production in recent seasons, and last year in particular, was just a blip and would reverse. Unfortunately for the Bruins, Lindholm has failed to play at the level of a top-six center. Instead, they have a player making $7.75 million per year performing like a No. 3 center. It’s a real problem for the short and long term future of the franchise.
“Well, Elias got off to a slower start, started really in training camp where he wasn’t 100 percent healthy, didn’t find the continuity with a couple different linemates, but has settled in and done a good job overall of being a bit more of a matchup,