Breaking: Boston Closing In On Deal to Sign $55 Million Canucks’ Center After Bruins Fans Demand

According to a recent survey conducted by Fluto Shinzawa of The Athletic, Boston Bruins fans overwhelmingly see adding a center as the team’s top priority this offseason.

According to the poll, 86.2% of subscribers feel obtaining a center should be the Bruins’ top priority in the upcoming offseason, far outweighing other needs such as a scoring wing (12.5%) or a left-shot defenseman (1.4%).

Shinzawa’s key takeaway from the findings is that Boston lacks a true No. 1 center to replace 2023-24 center Morgan Geekie.

“Morgan Geekie finished the playoffs as the No. 1 center with David Pastrnak. Shinzawa wrote, “That is not who Geekie is.” “In a perfect world, Geekie would be the No. 3 center. The same goes for Charlie Coyle.

That is precisely aligned with the survey’s next question, which addressed prospective centers the Bruins should target and sign in free agency.

The poll results were indisputable once again, with impending Vancouver Canucks unrestricted free agent Elias Lindholm earning the most votes (58.4%) and double Tampa Bay Lightning’s Steven Stamkos (23.5%) in second place.

“Whether Lindholm can match his career high of 82 points in 2021-22 remains to be seen. However, the right-shot center contributes enough to the overall game,” Shinzawa wrote. “He wouldn’t necessarily have to be a top-tier offensive driver for the Bruins. Lindholm, like Coyle and Zacha, may be an all-situations pivot who exacerbates the Bruins’ main weakness.

Lindholm signed a six-year contract with the Flames in 2018 for $29.1 million.According to Evolving Hockey, Lindholm is expected to sign a seven-year contract worth approximately $56 million, with a budget cost of nearly $8 million.

Bruins’ Reported Interest in Canucks’ Elias Lindholm

If both parties can reach an agreement, the Bruins and Lindholm would constitute an ideal free agent pairing.

According to hockey analyst Eric Beaston’s June 18 piece on Bleacher Report, Boston is the “most interesting potential suitor” for signing Elias Lindholm.

Beaston’s assessment is based on Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedma’s statements (speaking on the Jeff Marek Show on June 10) that the Canucks’ re-signing of Lindholm is improbable, leaving the center open to free agency.

“I’ve been watching Vancouver while waiting. For example, I believe Elias Lindholm has been traded, and this opens the door for others. Friedman believes there is a structure for a Tyler Myers agreement, but is not yet ready to announce it officially.

Lindholm joined the Vancouver Canucks from the Calgary Flames in February 2024, but only scored 12 points in 26 games during the regular season.

The Bruins attempted to make a trade before the March 8 deadline, according to insider Chris Johnston, who revealed interest on March 5.

“The most interesting potential suitor would be the Boston Bruins, a team that has Stanley Cup aspirations but has fallen short each of the last two seasons, despite loaded rosters,” Beaston wrote.

In another post touching on the possible arrival of Lindholm in Boston, Michael DeRosa of The Hockey News thinks the center could be the final piece missing on Boston’s Stanley Cup puzzle.

“There is no question that the Bruins need a top-six center,” DeRosa wrote on June 11. “If the Bruins signed Lindholm, he would immediately become their best center.”

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Elias Lindholm’s Short Stint in Vancouver

Lindholm played in 26 regular-season and 13 postseason games for the Canucks, tallying 12 and 10 points, respectively. If he does leave Vancouver in July, he will have played 39 games and scored 22 points for the organization.

The center played an average of 17:42 per game in Vancouver. That statistic, his lowest since the 2017-18 season, could foreshadow his future outside of the Canucks organization.

Vancouver is interested in chasing at least one top-tier forward in free agency, which may leave Lindholm available if the player they want is not their current center.On June 18, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff speculated that the Vancouver Canucks may sign winger Jake Guentzel as an unrestricted free agency.

CapFriendly predicts the Bruins will have $21 million in salary space entering the offseason, with 17 of the 23 active roster places filled. Beaston feels the Bruins can manage their cap and perhaps sign Lindholm, particularly if they acquire more cap space before July 1.

“Expect the Vancouver Canucks to make a strong play for pending free agent forward Jake Guentzel,” Seravalli wrote. “They won’t be alone–as there are more than a handful of teams expected to be in the mix for the Stanley Cup-winning winger.”