While Elias Lindholm is looking forward to playing with David Pastrnak after the center signed a seven-year deal with the Boston Bruins on Monday, there is one more player he’s excited to be playing with, and not against.
“Probably (Charlie) McAvoy,” Lindholm said during his introductory press conference. “He has hit me a couple of times pretty hard. So it’s good to be on the same side.”
Lindholm has been on the receiving end of some of McAvoy’s punishing hits, including in 2021 while he was with the Calgary Flames. But now the 29-year-old doesn’t have to worry about the defenseman coming after him during games.
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Lindholm was one of Boston’s big splashes on Day 1 of NHL free agency. A strong two-way forward, he fills a positional need at center and is a strong faceoff winner — something the Bruins were missing during the 2023-24 season.
While he is coming off a down year, Lindholm admitted that being traded from Calgary to the Vancouver Canucks in January impacted him more than he had hoped. But now that he and his family can settle in Boston for the next several years, Lindholm is ready to get his game back to the level he knows it can get to.
“I think it’s a good fit,” Lindholm said. “Playing in the league for a long time and trying to look at (Patrice) Bergeron as much as possible. I don’t want to compare myself or anything like that. But I think I can bring a little bit of what he did and try to come there and bring my game and come back to the player I know I can be, and help this team achieve the Stanley Cup.”
