How the Bruins are weathering Elias Lindholm’s injury – Hockey Writer – Boston Bruins
The worst news has arrived on the doorstep of the Boston Bruins. After seeing top center Elias Lindholm exit the game in the second quarter against the Buffalo Sabers, it became clear he suffered a serious injury. Head coach Marco Sturm provided an update on his center.
“He’s going to have an MRI today. He’s going to be out for at least a few weeks.”
This is a huge blow to a Bruins team that already has flaws on offense. But they must weather the storm and overcome adversity.
Elias Lindholm’s injury status
You feel for the player in this situation. The player had a rough first season with the Bruins (2024-25). There’s no denying that he’s dealing with a nagging back injury that’s hampering his performance. Lindholm finished the season with 47 points, which wasn’t exactly what was expected after signing a massive free agent contract. He was very critical of himself after that season and still has a lot to prove in 2025-26.
“When the season goes like this, you probably want to throw it in the trash and move on. It’s not easy, but it’s what you want to do…For myself, I played some pretty good hockey at the end, so that’s probably what I want to bring this year.”
Just like in 2024-25, Lindholm was outstanding. He has four goals and nine points in 13 games, ranking fourth on the team in that regard. It’s not just Lindholm’s production, he’s had a good influence on the game.
Lindholm performed well in the faceoff circle, winning 57.5% of his faceoffs. He’s relied on in defensive zone draws and in clutch situations. He helped improve special teams performance, especially strength plays. Seven of his nine points came from the male advantage. He’s centered on the top line, and filling his shoes won’t be easy.
It was the first adversity the Bruins faced this season. Losing Hampus Lindholm is a big blow to their defense, but they still have Charlie McAvoy and Nikita Zadorov. The Bruins are pretty thin in the middle of the ice, so how do they weather this storm? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Existing options are already on the list
A next man mentality is one way the Bruins address this issue. The Bruins could move Pavel Zacha to the top line and reunite him with compatriot David Pastrnak. The two are no strangers to being paired together, and their chemistry is palpable.
Dating back to the 2024-25 season, Zacha and Pastrnak outscored their opponents 94-66. Additionally, their Corsi shooting percentage is 50.70% and their expected goals percentage is 50.33. Getting Zacha back on the top line could pay huge dividends offensively and give the Bruins the boost they need. If not him, Sturm could hand over power to Marat Husnutinov.
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Kusnudinov is the Bruins’ most impactful player. He has the speed this team desperately needs, can create offense, and most importantly, he’s proven he can make plays on the top line. Sturm put Kusnudinov alongside Pastrnak and Lindholm against the Sabers, and he performed very well. After Lindholm went down with injury, Husnudinov took over the center position and performed well.
He performed well in the faceoff circle, winning four of five faceoffs. Kusnudinov was still able to create offense and showed he could hold his own. Those two are internal options that fit the Bruins for now. If those are not options, perhaps they will seek reinforcements from Providence.
call pipeline
The Providence Bruins are doing well in the American Hockey League. They’re off to a great start 7-0-0 and are playing an interesting hockey game. You see guys out there playing winning hockey but also contributing. With Lindholm set to miss the game, the biggest name everyone wants to see is Matthew Poitras.
Poitras had a good training camp but was eventually sent to Providence. In the team’s first seven games, he dished out 6 assists, close to the average points-per-game average. It’s too early to think of this season as a development year, but there’s something to be said about getting young guys on the field and letting them grow. It’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them. Poitras provides that, and if he wants to be a key piece of the puzzle, fit him into the mix.
If they choose to play Zacha or Kusnudinov at center, the Bruins will need to bring in a winger. For that extra boost in goal scoring, Matej Blumel makes the most sense. He again scored two goals and nine points in the AHL for Providence. He can play left and right, so it does give Sturm some options.
This is not an easy hole to fill. Now we wait to see how the Bruins get through this.
Now we will wait and see
It’s always hard to lose a top player. It will be tough for the Bruins to weather this storm, and it will be interesting to see how they do without him. Hopefully this isn’t long-term and Lindholm can return to the ice sooner rather than later.
