Imagine a world where salaries didn't matter and every NHL player made the league minimum. The Boston Bruins are blowing out teams like the Utah Mammoth; Elias Lindholm is winning his third-line minutes against the other team's checking line; life is good.
Unfortunately, the world isn't like that, and Lindholm is an overpriced third-line center at $7.75 million annually. The Bruins didn't sign the Swedish center as a third-liner; truth be told, they likely saw him as a less effective version of Patrice Bergeron. However, things didn't work out as expected, and after a tough start as the team's first-line center, he is back in the bottom six.
Fans wanted the move, but it doesn't make the pill any easier to swallow that we've gotten to this point already in his contract. Nevertheless, it's hard to argue with the early returns after Lindholm's first game outside the top six, including a blowout win over the Mammoth and a four-point game from his former linemate, David Pastrnak, who was held back by his former center.
Lindholm would likely admit that he doesn't want to be in the bottom six, but he still gets enough ice time and a spot on the first powerplay unit, which was clicking on Thursday night. It isn't an ideal situation, but Lindholm always performs well in that third-line role, and maybe the Bruins don't need anything more from him.
JAMES ➡️ CASEY 🚨 pic.twitter.com/MVTeBfcH3A
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) October 8, 2026
The Bruins' big night started with a great play by Lindholm, who caused a turnover that ended up on the stick of James Hagens, who passed it to Casey Mittelstadt for the 1-0 lead. If the third line can continue contributing like that, Marco Stum's new-look lineup will be just fine.
Elias Lindholm's overpriced third-line contract
The title of this article was a bit tongue-in-cheek, as we'd better hope that Lindholm would be effective in a third-line matchup. One compliment you can give him is that he never sulks after a demotion and always seems to elevate his game. Keeping him engaged for a longer stretch might be a challenge, but the Bruins aren't asking much of him.
Much attention goes to the rising salary cap and the discrepancy in salaries. As Lindholm's contract gets cheaper every year as a percentage of the cap, there will come a time when $7.75 million for a high-end third-line center isn't a terrible contract. It could look bad now, but if the Bruins continue playing this way and Lindholm finally finds a place where he can be effective, Boston will be happy.
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