Lindholm won an impressive 56.4 percent of his faceoffs last season, which ranked ninth in the league among players who took 1,000-plus draws. This kind of faceoff skill would be a huge boost to a Bruins team that ranked 21st in faceoff win percentage in the regular season and then ranked 14th out of 16 playoff teams.
Lindholm isn’t going to put up eye-popping scoring numbers, but he will produce offensively, he will make his teammates better, he will be really strong defensively, and he will make a big impact on special teams. That’s the mold of a center that typically thrives in Boston — the two-way, do-it-all player who is reliable in all three zones.
Signing Lindholm likely would be pretty expensive, but it’s rare that top-six centers hit the open market these days, and given the Bruins’ needs at that position, it would be wise for the team to aggressively pursue him.
“I’m expecting (the Bruins) to be in on (Lindholm) if he hits the market,” Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said on his 32 Thoughts podcast last month. “Someone else said to me, throw Chandler Stephenson‘s name in there. I think there are a lot of people expecting Stephenson to be on Boston’s radar.
“People definitely believe Boston is going to get a center. … Whether it’s Lindholm, Stephenson or somebody else we’re missing right now, there’s definitely a belief they’re gonna do something down the middle.”
Age: 28
Position: C/RW
2023-24 Stats: 57 G, 37 A, 82 GP
Reinhart is arguably the top player who could hit the free agent market next week.
The veteran forward is versatile enough to play in a top-six center or top-six wing role (he’s been more of a winger with Florida, though), and he’s been very productive for the Panthers over the last couple years. He scored a career-high 57 goals, along with 37 assists, in 82 games for the Panthers this season.
Reinhart has hit the 30-goal mark in each of his three seasons in Florida, and he’s missed just four total games during that span. His playmaking ability is impressive, too, evidenced by his 40.67 assists per season with the Panthers.
Reinhart also has been a productive playoff performer for the Panthers. He has 28 points (17 goals, 11 assists) in 44 games over the last two postseasons.
The veteran forward isn’t going to get any Selke consideration, but he has improved quite a bit defensively in recent seasons. He’s not a liability at that end of the ice. Reinhart has played an important role on a Panthers penalty kill that ranked No. 6 in the…