With the 2024–25 regular season coming to a conclusion, the Boston Bruins are set to miss the playoffs for the first time since the 2015–16 season. The team elected to sell at the trade deadline, trading away names such as Brandon Carlo, Charlie Coyle, Justin Brazeau and even their captain in Brad Marchand.
The team is looking to reset in the offseason, but that wasn’t the plan or expectation for this season. The Bruins had an active free agency last summer, as their biggest moves involved two ex-Canucks in Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov. Both players inked relatively big contracts with the team, and both seemed like a fit at the time. However, as this season comes to an end, it’s safe to say at this point, the Bruins are likely going to regret signing both of these contracts.
These contracts are looking like massive misses
When the Bruins announced that they were signing both Lindholm and Zadorov, people had initial positive reactions based on the fit alone, myself included. However, those feelings quickly went away the moment their contract values were announced…
Lindholm was inked long-term, signing a seven-year deal with an AAV of $7.75M. Zadorov was also given some term, as he signed a six-year deal with an AAV of $5M. Instant reaction was that the Bruins overpaid big time for both players, and that’s been exactly the case.
The Bruins as a whole have struggled this season, but the spotlight has been on Lindholm and Zadorov. Lindholm has recorded just 13 goals and 38 points in 74 games this season. Meanwhile, Zadorov has four goals and 17 points in the same amount of games, and has recorded a career high of 137 penalty minutes.
Both players aren’t even close to living up to their contracts, and given where the Bruins are headed, it could get quite ugly over the next few seasons.
Both players benefited from great playoff runs
Lindholm and Zadorov were both part of a promising Vancouver Canucks team who were a game away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals.
Both were acquired by the Canucks from the Calgary Flames, and had their ups and downs. Zadorov seemed to be an instant fit and played some of his best hockey in Vancouver, especially during the postseason, where he racked up eight points in 13 playoff games. Lindholm took more time to adjust but was also a great asset during the postseason, scoring 10 points in 13 playoff games.
The Canucks opted to let both players walk, and Boston would snatch them up. These players benefited from strong playoff runs, which enabled them to cash in during free agency.
There’s also the fact that with Lindholm especially, he plays a coveted position being a centre and was connected to the Bruins for quite some time. He was a 40-goal scorer at one point while being Calgary’s number-one centre, and Zadorov was seen as an addition to toughen up Boston’s blueline.
The Bruins thought that by giving both these players a bigger role, their numbers would flourish just like in previous seasons, but so far, they’ve missed the mark fully.
What do the Bruins do now?
By the looks of it, both of these contracts are projected to age terribly for Boston. The good news is that with the cap rising, the effect these contracts pose will be lessened, but they’ll still likely be liabilities moving forward.
It’s clear that the Bruins are headed towards some sort of retooling, but Lindholm and Zadorov signed in Boston with the idea that they’d be playing playoff hockey right away. Unfortunately, in the event that one or both of these players end up wanting out, trade interest would likely be very low.
If you’re the Bruins, a couple of years of drafting high picks and developing your prospect pool is the easy way to go. The team had a production deadline by selling, but there’s chatter that the Bruins aren’t going to give up so easily.
Regardless of what path they choose, their big-name free agents have to play better. Whether it’s a first-year slump or a foreshadowing of what’s to come, the Bruins could look back at their 2024 free agency spree, only to regret their actions deeply.
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