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

Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov are as soon as once more teammates because the pair every signed a long-term contract with the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins introduced Monday that they signed Lindholm and Zadorov, however didn’t present contract particulars. Lindholm has a seven-year deal value $7.75 million yearly whereas Zadorov has a six-year deal value $5 million yearly, in accordance with experiences.

This would be the third time previously 12 months that Lindholm and Zadorov have performed for a similar staff. They began final season with the Calgary Flames earlier than being reunited in separate trades that noticed them be part of the Vancouver Canucks.

Now it seems they may very well be with the Bruins for years to return.

Signing Lindholm allowed Boston to deal with its want for one more top-six heart. The twin retirements of former captain Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci left the Bruins getting into 2023-24 and not using a confirmed top-six heart.

That led to the emergence of Charlie Coyle, who scored a career-high 25 objectives and 60 factors in 82 video games. It additionally noticed the Bruins depend on all 4 of their facilities to assist fill the collective void left by Bergeron and Krejci.

However getting eradicated within the second spherical of the playoffs by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers led to questions on how the Bruins may strengthen their roster.

Enter Lindholm.

A Selke Trophy runner-up in 2022, Lindholm offers the Bruins a two-way heart who could be trusted at both finish. His offensive manufacturing, nonetheless, got here into query in 2023-24, when he had 15 objectives and 44 factors after coming off consecutive seasons of greater than 60 factors.

Lindholm used the playoffs to reply a few of these issues by scoring 5 objectives and a career-high 10 factors in 13 video games, serving to the Canucks come inside a victory of the Western Convention finals earlier than they have been knocked out by the Edmonton Oilers.

Along with needing a second-line heart, the Bruins additionally confronted questions on how they’d full their top-four defensive core that options Brandon Carlo, Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy.

They answered them by getting the bodily imposing Zadorov, who used the playoffs to indicate potential suitors he may very well be value including as soon as free company arrived.

Zadorov had six objectives and 20 factors in 75 video games between the Flames and Canucks, marking the 29-year-old’s third straight season with a minimum of 20 factors.

His playoff performances noticed him emerge as one of many Canucks’ most essential gamers as they reached the second spherical. He completed with 4 objectives and eight factors and logged greater than 20 minutes whereas working as a marauding power able to scoring, delivering hits and being trusted to play in varied conditions.