Bruins looking to add a top center in summer free agency

The Boston Bruins will be reevaluating their need for a top centerman during the off-season. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet revealed on the most recent episode of the “32 Thoughts” podcast that if either Chandler Stephenson or Elias Lindholm were to hit the open market, they might seek both players.

Friedman stated that before Lindholm moved to Vancouver in January, Boston was considering making a deal for him. In exchange for Lindholm, the Canucks gave up top prospect Hunter Brzustewicz and top winger Andrei Kuzmenko, probably a sign that Boston was willing to pay a premium for his services as well.

Given that Lindholm’s negotiations were left out of Vancouver’s leadership exit interviews, they may have another opportunity to lure his camp this summer. With 11 pending free agents and $23 million in salary space heading into the off-season, the Canucks are probably spending heavily on contracts for Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov, and Filip Hronek. It will be difficult to hold all three while maintaining their depth because they might all compete for a cap hit of more than $5 million.

This season, Lindholm has scored 44 points in 75 games, which is the fewest points he has scored since joining the Carolina Hurricanes in 2017–18. That decline in scoring was sparked by Lindholm’s relocation to Vancouver, when he dropped from 0.653 points per game with the Flames to 0.462 points per game with the Canucks. Although Lindholm was able to spark his offence in the postseason, finishing with five goals and ten points in 13 games, his current season’s performance puts him well short of the $8 million that he was reportedly demanding last summer.

The Bruins, who weren’t afraid to go after Lindholm last summer, should be pleased with this development. It’s easy to understand why they would be keen to add Lindholm’s dynamic offensive approach, as his ability to drive through the neutral zone perfectly complements David Pastrnak’s exceptional wing skills.

Chandler Stephenson would be much more of Boston’s “MO,” even though Lindholm offers offensive upside and perhaps a high price tag to match.

Stephenson is a centerman with exceptional fundamental skill who has demonstrated an amazing ability to use his high hockey IQ to create opportunities in all three zones. Regarded as one of the league’s best two-way centres, he creates more opportunities for his wingers, such as Mark Stone and Jonathan Marchessault, to lead the offence with his strong defence. Even though Stephenson’s performance doesn’t quite match the Selke Trophy-winning calibre of his predecessors, his skills could serve as a respectable substitute for the years of excellent two-way play of Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

Stephenson recently completed a four-year, $11 million contract that has evolved into one of the league’s most team-friendly offers. Over the previous four seasons, the second-line centerman for Vegas has essentially cost $2.75 million in budget space. Any offer that paid Stephenson his market value would represent a significant pay increase given his meagre income. That might help Vegas in the bargaining process, even though the Golden Knights still have less than $1 million in cap room and must contend with seven pending free agents, including Stephenson and Marchessault.

Should Lindholm or Stephenson be priced out of remaining with their present teams, the Bruins will be eager to act—and probably quick to pay. Jeremy Swayman and Jake DeBrusk are two of Boston’s twelve pending free agents, but the team has about $21 million to re-sign them. Another way the team might clear cap space is by dealing $6 million cap hit Linus Ullmark, a former Vezina Trophy winner.

This season, Pavel Zacha took centre stage and excelled. He scored 59 points, a career high, and he and Pastrnak created a tandem that continued into the 2024 World Championship. But as Boston attempted to maintain their momentum in the second round, it was evident that they were lacking an X-factor. Given that Boston has already laid eyes on two of the best names in the market, filling in that missing piece appears to be their primary priority this summer.