What Bruins’ lineup looks like after Elias Lindholm, Nikita Zadorov additions – and what’s still missing

Bruins general manager Don Sweeney made two big signings on Day 1 of NHL free agency Monday, inking center Elias Lindholm (7 years, $7.75 million average annual value) and defenseman Nikita Zadorov (6 years, $5M AAV).

In smaller depth moves, Boston also signed forwards Max Jones (who should have a good shot at making the team in a 12th/13th forward type role), Riley Tufte, Cole Koepke and Jeffrey Viel, and defensemen Jordan Oesterle and Billy Sweezey (a Hanson native).

With an extension for restricted free-agent goalie Jeremy Swayman expected to eventually come in somewhere around $7-8 million per year, the Bruins have minimal cap space left to work with – maybe $1.5-2 million after Monday’s moves, depending on how many players they carry and who gets sent down around the fringes of the roster.

Barring any big trades, Sweeney’s offseason roster-building could be done. So, with that in mind, how is the 2024-25 roster shaping up? Well, things look pretty good… except for one glaring hole. We’ll get to that, but first, let’s take a look at what the lineup might look like as things stand now:

Forwards
Pavel Zacha – Elias Lindholm – David Pastrnak
Brad Marchand – Charlie Coyle – Morgan Geekie
Trent Frederic – Matt Poitras – Justin Brazeau
Max Jones – Johnny Beecher – Mark Kastelic
Vinni Lettieri

Defense
Nikita Zadorov – Charlie McAvoy
Hampus Lindholm – Brandon Carlo
Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke
Parker Wotherspoon

Goalies
Jeremy Swayman
Joonas Korpisalo

Elias Lindholm will play big minutes in all situations and slide right into the first-line center spot alongside Pastrnak, which probably shifts Zacha back to the wing. Zacha has played a lot with Pastrnak both as a wing and center, so we’ll put him there and keep Marchand on the second line.

“Way back in the [2013] draft, we identified Elias as a player that has a lot of [Patrice] Bergeron qualities,” Sweeney said Monday afternoon. “Kudos to our scouting staff for following these guys and watching the growth of Zadorov and also acknowledging where Elias remains in his career and bringing the attributes he does. It’s kind of been a two-year pursuit to tell you the truth, wondering maybe down the road if he would ever get to free agency.

“…He's only played in a top-line role,” Sweeney added of Lindholm. “And now he's got a chance to go play with Pasta like he might have had with [Johnny] Gaudreau and [Matthew] Tkachuk [in Calgary]. I think the bumper spot on our power play is an area that Elias is going to fit in seamlessly in that regard. And he wins his draws. So you start to realize like there's a little bit of, OK, that's a little bit of what we had and what we missed.”

Zadorov brings some desired nastiness to the blue line and could line up on any of the three defense pairings, as coach Jim Montgomery will have some flexibility to move him, Hampus Lindholm and Lohrei around. But it does sound like Sweeney has his eye on a Zadorov-McAvoy top pair, at least to start.

“Z’s exits are good, either transporting or finding middle ice, which is something Monty likes to do,” Sweeney said. “So his first-pass ability I think complements. Charlie gets a lot of focus on the forecheck and takes some physical hits as a result of that. I think Z can maybe keep some of those flies off at times and also complement in a puck-moving standpoint. So, they’re two guys that can cover a lot of ice and play in a matchup in any way, on the road or not.”

In goal, we’ll pencil in Korpisalo as the backup after coming over from Ottawa in the Linus Ullmark trade, although Sweeney has said that 25-year-old Brandon Bussi will get a chance to challenge him.

So, that hole I mentioned…

This lineup could really use another top-six scoring wing. That right wing spot on the second line with Marchand and Coyle is just screaming out for an upgrade. If the Bruins could get one, it would bump Geekie down to the third line, Brazeau to the fourth, and Kastelic or Jones to 13th forward. Then you would really be looking at a pretty complete, well-rounded lineup.

But as we already established, the Bruins have little cap space remaining. Certainly not enough to get a second-line wing. Maybe they would’ve at least been able to get close if they didn’t take on Korpisalo’s $3 million cap hit. Anthony Duclair and Warren Foegele both topped 20 goals last year, signed for reasonable $3.5 million salaries on Monday, and would’ve been better than nothing.

But the Bruins did take on Korpisalo, and they didn’t sign those guys. So, what’s the plan now? Sweeney acknowledged there’s a “gap” up front, but said he’s looking for internal growth. That could come in the form of Frederic or Geekie taking another step forward and growing into a second-line role, but it sounds like what Sweeney and the Bruins really want to see is one of their young forwards prove they’re ready for the NHL and win a job.

The first name Sweeney mentioned in that respect was Fabian Lysell, the Bruins’ first-round pick in 2021 who has yet to make his NHL debut. Sweeney said last week that Lysell was trending in the right direction in Providence in the second half and likely would have gotten a late-season call-up if he hadn’t suffered a concussion and shoulder injury in March. But Sweeney also went on to mention Georgii Merkulov and Riley Duran as possibilities.

His message to them is simple: Show us you’re ready in training camp and preseason and you’ll make the team, just like Poitras and Beecher did last year.

“I would say to Merk or Fabian or Riley Duran, keep going down the list: Just pin your ears back, train your ass off this summer, and come with the intent that there will be an opportunity here,” Sweeney said. “If you're the best player, then we find a way to get you in the lineup. … Those guys should have clear intentions to come and find an opportunity to beat somebody out, because it'll be there.”

And if they’re not ready and it turns out the Bruins still need outside help as they get into the season? Well, Sweeney also noted on Monday that the roster is not a finished product in July or even October.

“I don't think your team in July is ready-made,” Sweeney said. “If anybody feels that way, then congratulations, and they've checked every single box. But we're not set in October. We’ll allow these guys to go through and see who can push, and then we'll re-evaluate, and if we have holes or gaps, we'll try and address them.”

Unlike last year, the Bruins will accrue more cap space during the season as long as they’re not using long-term injured reserve. That can be used for in-season trades. And unlike last year, they may be a little more willing to trade away a first-round pick if they need to. They got back into the first round this year thanks to the Ullmark trade and landed a high-upside prospect in center Dean Letourneau. For the first time in years, they still have all their own future first-round picks.

So no, Sweeney didn’t fill every need Monday, and probably won’t be able to this summer. But he did address the biggest one at the center position, and he also added size and physicality on the blue line that he felt the team needed.

Youngsters like Lysell and Merkulov will get the chance they want – and that many fans want to see them get – to claim an NHL job and run with it. And if they don’t take advantage, then this is still a roster that should at least be good enough to comfortably get the Bruins in playoff position while Sweeney scours the in-season winger market for a push over the top.