Going into the 2026-27 season, several questions faced Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm. At the top of the list was exactly what he was going to do with center Elias Lindholm. He didn't appear to be the No. 1 center Boston has been looking for, but he also dealt with a back injury the last two seasons.
So where did he fit into the Black and Gold's plans, and where would he end up being slotted in the lineup? As it turns out, many people expected that he would likely wind up as the third-line center. He has, and he has played very well. How well? He is leading the league in one category that not many fans would expect.
Bruins center Elias Lindholm leads the NHL in one surprising category
Entering play on Saturday, Lindholm leads the NHL in faceoff percentage at 61.5%, ahead of Nico Hischier of the New Jersey Devils. Some might be surprised, but playing down in the lineup a little bit helps.
Regardless, Lindholm, who is making $7.75 million a year, has thrived in his new role this year. He has mainly worked with James Hagens and Casey Mittlestadt, and you can argue that he helped drive Hagens' early-season success before Hagens landed on injured reserve.
Now, is that sustainable? Maybe, maybe not, but despite playing down in the lineup and producing both offensively and at the dot, it finally looks like the Black and Gold are getting the player they thought they were getting just over two years ago when general manager Don Sweeney inked him to his big deal.
Lindholm went 13-for-18 on faceoffs in Thursday night's 5-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens at the TD Garden. He also picked up a pair of assists on Mittlestadt's goals. Lindholm now has points in eight of his last nine games.
Boston still requires a true first-line center, but to acquire that through a trade, there will need to be a blockbuster deal done at some point. Pavel Zacha has held down the top spot right now between JJ Peterka and David Pastrnak, and Fraser Minten has been a pleasant surprise, slotting in the second line between Zacha and Lindholm. This is all before even considering Hagens down the middle, maybe later this season, but certainly in the future.
Lindholm has been a surprise this season and will need to continue to thrive as the third-line center, but also at the faceoff dot, if the Bruins are going to have success this season and get to where they want to, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
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