Bruins
“As an alternative of feeling sorry for myself, attempt to put that point into bettering myself and get higher and are available again stronger.”
Lots has modified for the reason that final time Hampus Lindholm took to the ice with the Boston Bruins.
When the veteran blueliner labored off the ice at St. Louis’ Enterprise Middle on Nov. 12, 2024, Jim Montgomery was nonetheless on the Bruins’ bench — not the Blues’. Brad Marchand, Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle and a number of other different stalwarts had been nonetheless donning black-and-gold sweaters.
And as underwhelming because the Bruins’ 8-7-2 report was the the time of his harm, few anticipated Boston’s struggles to finally snowball right into a 33-39-10 report— tied for the fourth-worst factors proportion in the whole league.
The Bruins’ misfortunes had been compounded by the absence of Lindholm, who missed the ultimate 65 video games of the season after struggling a fractured patella in that recreation in opposition to the Blues.
“It’s laborious. You need to be on the market and preventing with the fellows, win or lose,” Lindholm mentioned Tuesday on the staff’s golf event on the Pinehills Golf Membership. “And clearly I really feel like I may have made some distinction with the staff [last] 12 months, and I used to be sidelined sadly.
“I’ve been attempting to take that point — as an alternative of feeling sorry for myself, attempt to put that point into bettering myself and get higher and are available again stronger and [be] a greater model of myself there this season.”
The Bruins will welcome that sort of bounce-back season from the 31-year-old Lindholm, who will doubtless play a key function if Boston does find yourself righting the ship within the span of a single season.
“I at all times attempt to flip it into one thing constructive,” Lindholm, who started skating once more in June, mentioned of his harm. “You’ll be able to’t actually do something about these issues. And I’ve been attempting to have a look at my harm this summer season — I needed to attempt to get stronger, larger and to have an excellent higher season this season that I’ve had prior to now. So I’m very, very excited, very filled with vitality to return again and excited to see the fellows and being right here.”
Lindholm hasn’t had a simple street to restoration, as he was initially set to return as a wave of much-needed reinforcements in February 2025 after being on the mend for months.
However, simply weeks earlier than Don Sweeney and the Bruins opted to tear down the roster on the commerce deadline, Boston made the decision to close down Lindholm for the remainder of the 12 months — with the defenseman going below the knife once more to get some {hardware} out of that shattered kneecap.
Even with that setback, Lindholm confused that he isn’t going to enter coaching camp subsequent week with any kind of restrictions in place.
“I’ve been injured earlier than,” Lindholm mentioned. “Like I mentioned, I understand how to get again from harm. So I really feel good, my physique, I put in plenty of work this summer season. … I’ve been actually lucky to have plenty of good folks round me, but it surely’s plenty of work.
“However that provides me confidence coming into the season that I put in all of the work in the summertime. And so simply use extra pleasure to exit and type of present what sort of participant I’m going to be this 12 months.”
Lindholm’s capability to log heavy minutes, anchor a top-four function on Boston’s blue line, and knack for producing offense from the again finish will likely be welcomed on a retooling Bruins squad in want of some stability.
Lindholm was one of many few brilliant spots on Boston’s roster initially of final season, scoring three objectives and posting seven factors over his 17 video games whereas averaging 20:51 of ice time per contest.
Regardless of having simply 45 p.c of his faceoffs at 5-on-5 play set within the offensive zone, Lindholm nonetheless was a net-positive on the ice for a flawed Boston squad — with the Bruins outscoring opponents, 11-7, in his 238:19 of 5-on-5 ice time final season (per Natural Stat Trick).
It stays to be seen how Boston will persistently generate offense at 5-on-5 play past the highest line of David Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm, and Morgan Geekie.
However, othe Bruins may enhance their offense by sparking a dormant energy play that ranked twenty ninth within the NHL with only a 15.2 p.c success fee final 12 months.
It was poor timing for the Bruins that they opted at hand the keys to a slumping man benefit to Lindholm throughout the identical recreation that he suffered his season-ending harm. However the cellular, left-shot skater may very well be the treatment wanted to quarterback the facility play shifting ahead.
Because the begin of the 2022-23 season, David Pastrnak has logged 524:28 of power-play reps alongside Charlie McAvoy because the staff’s prime defenseman on the person benefit. Over that prolonged stretch, the Bruins have outscored groups, 58-12 — equating to a 6.64 objectives scored per 60 minutes fee.
Over that same stretch of the past three seasons, Pastrnak has solely recorded 184:01 of energy play ice time with Lindholm. Over that span, the Bruins have outscored groups, 36-1, which stands as an 11.74 objectives scored per 60 minutes fee — a large bounce from the numbers posted by McAvoy + Pastrnak.
It stays to be seen how Marco Sturm augments Boston’s power-play personnel, however there’s quite a bit to love about how Lindholm may affect that unit if he’s taking part in alongside the staff’s prime snipers like Pastrnak and Morgan Geekie.
However the presence of Lindholm alone ought to present a elevate to a Bruins staff that believes it has a lot to show this winter.
“I feel we now have a extremely good squad,” Lindholm mentioned. “I feel, like trying on the guys round [us], like we now have the items. You get each me and C-Mac getting back from accidents, and if I have a look at our staff, I’m very optimistic. I’ve plenty of confidence on this group, and it’s gonna be be a enjoyable 12 months.
“I feel persons are gonna underestimate us, and we may attempt to use that to our favor, being the underdog, and type of get again to that Bruins hockey that everyone knows we are able to play.”
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