Bruins ink top center Elias Lindholm, D-man Nikita Zadorov

Bruins ink top center Elias Lindholm, D-man Nikita Zadorov

ByRYAN S. CLARK

July 1, 2024, 2:59 PM

Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov are once again teammates with the pair each signing long-term contracts Monday with the Boston Bruins.

While the Bruins announced they signed Lindholm and Zadorov, they did not provide contract details. It's been reported that Lindholm signed a seven-year deal worth $7.75 million annually while Zadorov signed a six-year deal worth $5 million annually.

This will be the third time in the last calendar year that Lindholm and Zadorov have played for the same team. They started last season with the Calgary Flames before being reunited in separate trades that saw them join the Vancouver Canucks.

Now it appears they will be with the Bruins for years to come.

Signing Lindholm allowed the Bruins to address their need for another top-six center. The dual retirements of former captain Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci left the Bruins entering the 2023-24 season without a proven top-six center.

It led to the emergence of Charlie Coyle, who scored a career-high 25 goals and 60 points in 82 games. It also saw the Bruins rely on all four of their centers to help fill the collective void left by Bergeron and Krejci.

But with the Bruins getting eliminated in the second round by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, it led to them facing questions about how they could strengthen their roster.

Enter Lindholm.

A Selke Trophy runner-up in 2022, Lindholm gives the Bruins a two-way center who can be trusted in either end. His offensive production, however, came into question this season when he finned with 15 goals and 44 points, a decline considering he was coming off consecutive seasons of more than 60 points.

Lindholm used the playoffs to answer some of those questions by scoring five goals and a career-high 10 points in 13 games to help the Canucks come within a victory of the Western Conference Final before they were knocked out by the Edmonton Oilers.

In addition to a second-line center, the Bruins also faced questions about how they would complete their top-four defensive core that features Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy.

They answered it by getting a physically imposing Zadorov who used the playoffs to show potential suitors that he could be worth adding once free agency arrived.

Zadorov's six goals and 20 points in 75 games between the Flames and Canucks led to the 29-year-old having his third straight season for more than 20 points.

His playoff performances saw him emerge as one of the Canucks' most important players as they reached the second round. He finished with four goals, eight points and logged more than 20 minutes while operating as a marauding force capable of scoring goals, delivering hits, and being trusted to play in numerous situations.