Bruins' practice line shuffle includes Elias Lindholm demotion fans wanted

The Boston Bruins' second line of Pavel Zacha, Casey Mittelstadt, and Morgan Geekie having just one assist between them through the first four games was more than enough reason for Marco Sturm to shuffle the lines at Wednesday's practice. Add in the fact that Elias Lindholm has been making David Pastrnak look pedestrian, and something had to be done to ignite the offense.

Reuniting Geekie with Pastrnak, who turned the former depth winger into a near-40-goal scorer, was a good start, even if it came at the expense of Pastrnak and JJ Peterka no longer being together at five-on-five. The hope is that Peterka's speed and skill can be a welcome addition alongside Fraser Minten and Marat Khusnutdinov, which is a sound bet to make.

Zacha's slow offensive start should get a bit of help by playing alongside his Czech captain. The new first-line center's career-year from 2025-26 hasn't carried over through the first four games, and the Bruins need him to get back to that production if they are going to contend for the playoffs.

The only player I worry about with this new lineup shuffle is James Hagens, who had a tough night on Monday and is now getting the unfortunate task of trying to invigorate Lindholm and Mittelstadt. Lindholm has been an anchor for skilled guys during his entire Bruins tenure, and this feels like something that can further turn the tide negatively against the rookie.

Mittelstadt has also been quiet, but at the very least, playing with two veterans might help Hagens' defensive game. Lindholm is still a solid defensive center, despite his other flaws, and Mittelstadt isn't exactly a Selke candidate, but he is at least more seasoned than Khusnutdinov.

Bruins' search for more offense

Minten and Lindholm exchanging jerseys for the sophomore center to move into the top six is a welcome sight. It's a bit discouraging that Lindholm has proven that he is a bottom-six center this early in his lucrative contract, but if he wins his line matchups down there, it helps mitigate it slightly.

Can Peterka elevate Minten into a full-time top-six center? At the very least, this could mean that the Bruins have two legitimate scoring lines, as many will bet that Pastrnak can get Geekie and Zacha's games going.

If Hagens and Lindholm can give just a bit of depth scoring, Boston will start to look like an average offensive team, which might be enough with Charlie McAvoy returning and Jeremy Swayman in net. The offense will also get a boost from the defenseman's return.

One thing to keep an eye on is the bottom six. It would be a disaster if it happened, but are the lines trending toward Matthew Poitras getting a chance with Hagens, with Lindholm moving to the fourth line? If the veteran becomes an anchor for the rookie, it's unfortunately a possibility, as there is simply nowhere else to put him.

This isn't a last resort for Sturm by any means, but if the offense continues to falter, he is running out of ways to fix it.

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