Elias Lindholm's first two seasons in Boston weren't always the most fun for him, in large part because he was rarely healthy.
Lindholm initially injured his back during offseason training in Aug. 2024, after signing a seven-year deal with the Bruins as a free agent, but before ever even practicing as a Bruin. He missed most of training camp, and while he went on to play all 82 regular-season games, his back continued to bother him all year.
Lindholm felt better to start last season, but then he missed nearly a month with a knee injury suffered at the end of October. And then he re-aggravated the back injury in January, something that would hamper him throughout the second half.
The injuries affected Lindholm's play and contributed to offensive production that was well below what was expected of a $7.75 million player. He did not reach 50 points in either of his first two seasons with the Bruins, finishing with 47 two years ago and 48 last year. And in Boston, when you don't produce, you get criticized – lingering back issues be damned.
The 2026-27 season is still young, but so far, Lindholm is producing. He enters Tuesday's game in Carolina with 10 points (4g, 6a) in 12 games, tied with Fraser Minten for second on the team, behind only David Pastrnak's 17 points. He has six points in the last five games. Oh, and he also leads the NHL in faceoff wins.
Unsurprisingly, the strong start has coincided with good health.
"It feels good. I think it's the first time in a long time I feel healthy," Lindholm told WEEI.com Monday. "My body feels good. It's pretty fun to play when you feel good."
It's also fun when you're helping the team win, which Lindholm and the Bruins are doing a lot of right now. Their 9-2-1 start gives them the best points percentage (.792) in the NHL entering Tuesday night, when they'll face the team right behind them in the defending Stanley Cup champion Hurricanes.
While Marco Sturm won't get to dictate matchups on the road, it's safe to say the Bruins coach would like to get Lindholm out against Sebastian Aho – Carolina's No. 1 center and leading scorer – as much as possible.
See, Lindholm actually didn't stick in the first role Sturm tried him in this season, which was first-line center alongside Pastrnak. While the two have clicked at times in the past, it became evident pretty quickly that the chemistry just wasn't there early on.
Instead, Lindholm has now found renewed purpose centering Boston's third line with Casey Mittelstadt and rookie James Hagens on his wings. Not only are they producing, but Sturm has also been using them as his shutdown line, putting them out against opponents' top forwards as much as possible.
In Saturday's 6-4 win over San Jose at TD Garden, that meant seeing a lot of young superstar Macklin Celebrini. In the 8:28 that Lindholm and Celebrini went head-to-head at 5-on-5 play, the Bruins held advantages of 16-7 in shot attempts, 9-4 in shots on goal, 10-3 in high-danger chances, and 2-0 in goals. Lindholm notched a pair of primary assists, one for each of his wingers.
In the previous game, it was Nashville's top line of Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos that Lindholm, Mittelstadt and Hagens shut down. In Dallas last week, they held Mikko Rantanen and Wyatt Johnston off the board. They've now played eight games together, and in those eight games the Bruins have outscored opponents 4-1 during their 5-on-5 shifts and they have an expected goals share of 59.2%.
"I feel like over the last little stretch, especially it started on that road trip, that these guys can play against top guys," Sturm said Monday. "They showed it again the last two games, so it's a good thing. I think Casey was in that spot last year. Lindy, done it before. For James, it's a challenge, but he likes it. So, so far it's been pretty good. So, I'm happy that we found hopefully a line again who can do that."
Lindholm is, literally, at the center of the line's success. Both Sturm and his linemates recognize that he's the one doing the hardest work in the defensive zone, which allows Hagens and Mittelstadt to get going in transition.
"I think a lot of that credit goes to Lindy," Mittelstadt said Saturday night when asked about shutting down Celebrini. "Lindy does a heck of a job in all three zones. Me and Hags are there to support him and help him when he needs it, but thankfully I don't think he needs it that often."
Discussion and debate over Lindholm's contract might never go away. He might never be a true No. 1 center again. But right now, what a healthy Lindholm is showing is that he can still be an effective role player who helps the Bruins win games. And that's still something to be happy about.
"We're winning," Lindholm said. "We have a deep lineup. I'm having a good time, so no complaints."
