With a couple of months to go until the Boston Bruins open the 2023-24 season, their roster is taking shape after undergoing many changes over the summer. As part of looking ahead to the coming NHL season, we’ll look at the Bruins’ roster and see what we can expect from them during the upcoming campaign.
Today, we look at Hampus Lindholm and how he can build off a career year during his second season with the Bruins.
Hampus Lindholm Has Thrived with Bruins
Since being acquired from the Anaheim Ducks at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline, Lindholm has fit in seamlessly with the Bruins. With Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk missing the start of the 2022-23 campaign, he stepped up in a massive way for the club and reached new heights with his spectacular play.
Throughout nine seasons with the Ducks, Lindholm never surpassed 34 points. During the Bruins’ record-setting regular season, the Swedish blueliner recorded a career-high 53 points in 80 games played. Although the 13 goals he scored in 2017-18 stand as a career-high, his puck-distributing skills were on full display as he set a new high with 43 assists.
Aside from the obvious offensive stat totals, Lindholm’s underlying numbers since joining the Bruins also have set new highs for the 29-year-old. Under head coach Jim Montgomery, he logged an average ice time (ATOI) of 23:11. While eating up significant minutes, he averaged 3.9 On Ice Goals For Per 60 (oiGF/60) and another career-best rate of 1.9 On Ice Goal Against per 60 (oiGA/60).
Lindholm’s possession metrics have also thrived since his move from California. His Corsi For percentage (CF%) has risen from 50.8% in Anaheim to 53.6% with the Bruins, while his Fenwick For percentage (FF%) has also gone up from 50.7% to 54.3%. Basically, with Lindholm on the ice, the Bruins are controlling the puck and playing in the offensive zone more often than not.
Lindholm’s Expectations Entering the 2023-24 Season
Although he established new career highs last season, I wouldn’t expect Lindholm to surpass those marks in 2023-24. Throughout his nine seasons with the Ducks, he averaged .38 points per game (P/G), and in the small sample size through 90 games with the Bruins, he has averaged .64 P/G.
While there is no denying Lindholm has evolved his game since coming to Boston, his career numbers suggest that his offensive production last year may have been a benefactor of the historic season the club put together. Another factor is that upon McAvoy’s return to the lineup, Lindholm wasn’t relied on as heavily to be the Bruins’ best offensive defenseman. With McAvoy healthy to begin the upcoming campaign, Lindholm’s primary focus will be to provide the Bruins with quality two-way play instead of feeling the need to provide the offensive punch the team lacked from the blue line without McAvoy at the beginning of last season.
That said, there is every reason to believe the 50-point mark is attainable for Lindholm. He will continue to man the point on the Bruins’ power play, and with the hands and shooting ability he exhibited against the San Jose Sharks, he is bound to pile up the points again.
Despite struggling in the playoffs while playing with a fractured foot, Lindholm will play a massive role for the Bruins in the upcoming season. He will continue to drive play from the defensive zone and put up substantial possession numbers helping to keep the club a contender moving forward.
I predict Lindholm will finish the season with 12 goals and 39 assists for 51 points. While he won’t quite top the career-highs set last season, he will be a significant member of the Bruins’ core and provide the club with a consistent level of production.
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