\\On Sunday, February 23rd, the Boston Bruins provided an update on defenceman Hampus Lindholm. In an afternoon press conference, Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney shared that Lindholm suffered a fractured patella and will more than likely miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season after undergoing surgery.
Lindholm’s Status
Sweeney gave updates on Hampus Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy:
Hampus: “unfortunately is unlikely to return the rest of the season.”
Charlie: “no timeline in regards to his surgery and his shoulder… but doing much, much better.” pic.twitter.com/bdBRYRRDxk
— Bridgette Proulx (@bridgetteproulx) February 23, 2025
The 31-year-old has been sidelined since November 12th, 2024 in which he suffered the lower body injury in a game against the St. Louis Blues. Lindholm blocked a Justin Faulk point shot which took him out of the game almost immediately, leaving the Bruins without their second best blue liner behind Charlie McAvoy.
After the game in which Lindholm exited, then-Bruins Jim Montgomery coach told media that it was “going to be weeks” until the Swedish native returns to action. Since then, the Bruins have kept Lindholm’s status and timetable up in the air by not providing any real updates until Sunday where they revealed that his fourth season wearing the black and gold has likely come to an unfortunate end.
Where Does Boston Go From Here?
This news is a huge blow for the black and gold. They are now down their top two blue liners once again. The Bruins currently sit at 10th place in the NHL’s Eastern conference, one point out of wild card spot and teams in front of them also have games in hand, it could be tough sledding for Boston moving forward.
If the B’s want any chance of making the playoffs they need to move forward with a ‘next man up’ mentality. Players like Mason Lohrei, Michael Callahan, and Parker Wotherspoon will need to step up in a big way to fill the large void that Hampus Lindholm leaves. However, expect Nikita Zadorov to raise his level of play as he will likely receive more ice time as well as some power play time with Charlie McAvoy out. Bruins head coach Joe Sacco gave Zadorov some power play time in the Bruins 3-2 overtime loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday evening.
If the Bruins continue their inconsistent play, Sweeney could be inclined to sell at the March 7th trade deadline. Guys like Charlie Coyle, Trent Frederic, Justin Brazeau, and Brandon Carlo could become available if the Bruins continue to struggle to stay in a playoff position.
Having Lindholm in the lineup could have helped propel the Bruins to a postseasons birth. They will have to dig deep and finish the season off strong without one of their most important pieces.
Main Photo: Jeff Curry- Imagn Images
