The Boston Bruins are still interested in pending free agent forward Elias Lindholm, according to David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period.
Lindholm completed his six-year $29.1 million contract, which he signed on July 16, 2018, while with the Calgary Flames, but was traded to the Vancouver Canucks on February 1, 2024.
Lindholm is set to become a free agent on July 1 after his contract expires, and Pagnotta says that the Bruins are very interested in him.
“Chatter over the Boston Bruins and their interest in signing soon-to-be unrestricted free agent center Elias Lindholm is getting louder and louder,” Pagnotta noted in the piece he penned.
The Bruins’ interest in Lindholm is not new; Boston attempted to trade him before Vancouver acquired him, and again while he struggled with the Canucks.
Lindholm scored 15 goals and 29 assists for 44 points in 75 games with the Flames and Canucks last season. In the playoffs, he scored 5 goals and 5 assists for 10 points in 13 games.
Lindholm is expected to receive a seven-year contract worth $8 million per season, according to DailyFaceoff.com.
The Bruins attempted to trade for Lindholm last season.
The Bruins have been interested in Lindholm for quite some time, as Boston attempted to acquire the Swede after Vancouver did.
Lindholm did not fit in well with Vancouver, and before the 2024 NHL Trade Deadline, the Canucks were in talks to trade him to Boston, according to NHL insider Chris Johnston.
“With the Canucks believed to be among those pursuing Jake Guentzel, word is they’ve had discussions about potentially flipping Elias Lindholm to the Bruins as part of the machinations needed to make it happen,” Johnston told reporters. “There is currently no concrete in place. There are still lots of moving parts.
However, the trade did not occur, and according to Pagnotta, Boston hopes to sign him as a free agent on July 1.
Boston plans to be ‘aggressive’ in free agency
The Florida Panthers eliminated the Boston Bruins in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
With Boston falling short of its ultimate goal of winning the Cup, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney says he intends to be aggressive in improving the team and making it a true Cup contender for the 2024-25 season.
“I believe we will continue to look to strengthen our back end and complement the group we have there. And then from there, it’s sort of like, how much of the pie is left — with the clear acknowledgement that Jeremy is part of this equation,” Sweeney said, via Boston.com. “Perfect world, you have a deal done there prior to [free agency], but it’s okay. … We just have to attack.
“I can’t tell you that we’re going to satisfy every need that our group had identified or you might identify, but we are going to be aggressive to try to improve our hockey club.”
Boston enters the offseason with just over $21.6 million in cap space, according to CapFriendly. However, the Bruins do have several key free agents like Jake DeBrusk, Danton Heinen, Derek Forbot, Matt Grzelcyk, and Jeremy Swayman who is an RFA.
