Boston Bruins head coach Marco Sturm knew he had to make some changes with his lineup during a rough stretch in the middle of March. Elias Lindholm was centering David Pastrnak and Marat Khusnutdinov, and the Bruins' superstar was struggling to get any offense going with his Swedish centerman. It took longer than expected for Sturm to make the move, but it's hard to blame him given the circumstances.
Sturm wasn't going to split up the second line that has been so good for him for most of the season. If Lindholm was going to leave Pastrnak's line, it was locking him into a spot as the third-line center, which is a bit of an admission of defeat when it comes to Lindholm's pricy long-term contract. It looked like a possible overpay when it happened, and just two years into the deal, Lindholm looks at home as a third liner.
It's a bit of a tough pill to swallow if you're the Bruins. For an organization that has a good handle on its salary cap structure, its second-highest-paid forward is on the third line for possibly the next five seasons. With the prospects that are coming, it's hard to see him ever moving up the lineup, especially given how well he is playing in the middle of Morgan Geekie and Lukas Reichel.
It's not a terrible problem to have depth throughout the lineup, and Lindholm is a very good third-line center compared to some of his matchups around the league. The only problem is that he is being paid as a top-six center, and he has also shown that he isn't effective enough in that role. With the salary cap rising, it might never be an issue, and with the Bruins playing so well right now, no one is going to complain that Lindholm isn't in the top six.
Elias Lindholm now has 5 goals in his last 6 games. Here’s what he had to say about his recent uptick in scoring:
— Tom Calautti (@TCalauttis) April 1, 2026
“Yeah, I don’t know, I just try to keep it simple and try to be around the net a lot. I think our line has been playing some good hockey. Obviously we have the top… pic.twitter.com/dm9n0LNPoF
It'll be interesting to see what happens in the playoffs once the games get tougher. The center actually has some success in past postseasons with the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, and he could excel again in third-line matchups. If the Bruins win a couple of games or even a series or two because of Lindholm, maybe his contract is worth the price.
In the interim, Lindholm has five goals and two assists since March 21, and the Bruins have won six of their past seven games. He is a massive reason why Boston now has a 98% chance of making the playoffs, and he didn't have to be on the first line or first powerplay unit to do it. While the front office might have his long-term outlook in mind, they can push it off to a later date.