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Casey Mittelstadt Out Week-To-Week

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Bruins center Casey Mittelstadt is nursing an apparent knee issue and has already missed one game, but head coach Marco Sturm said this morning he’s been downgraded to week-to-week (via Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald). They’re hoping he can get some light skates in later this week, but he’ll need something of a lengthy ramp-up period before he’s ready for game action again.

Mittelstadt, who turns 27 later this month, was acquired from the Avalanche last season and has had pedestrian output in a middle-six role since. He’s made 33 appearances since the surprise deadline deal, posting an 8-7–15 line with a -17 rating. In 2025-26, he’s already been a healthy scratch once and has seen his ice time drop to 14:32 per game. It’s his first time below 15 minutes since the 2019-20 campaign.

The eighth overall pick of the 2017 draft, Mittelstadt is now with his third club. The 6’1″ pivot spent parts of seven seasons with the Sabres before being included in a pair of notable change-of-scenery moves – first to the Avalanche for Bowen Byram at the 2024 deadline and again to the Bruins for Charlie Coyle last year. He flashed legitimate second-line ceiling with Buffalo, rattling off back-to-back 50-point seasons in his final two seasons there, but his offensive production since hasn’t warranted that type of deployment.

In fact, Boston has shifted Mittelstadt to the wing. That’s where the good news lies: he’s spent most of the year as a wingman for Viktor Arvidsson and Pavel Zacha, and that trio has churned out the best two-way play of the B’s’ frequently-used line combos. Of their three to log 50 minutes together, the Arvidsson-Zacha-Mittelstadt unit’s 50.0 xGF% is the best, per MoneyPuck. He’s got an even rating for the year as a result.

The Bruins now find themselves down two top-six pieces long-term in Mittelstadt and Elias Lindholm, who’s out week-to-week with a lower-body issue. The team has performed better than expected offensively this year, ranking 12th in the league with 3.29 goals per game, but that figure is down to regress thanks to those absences and a 12.2% shooting rate that’s bound to cool off.

Call-up Alex Steeves found himself in Mittelstadt’s slot on the second line when he made his Boston debut against his former team, the Maple Leafs, on Saturday. He didn’t record a point but could get a second look there in Boston’s rematch with Toronto tomorrow.

Summer Synopsis: Boston Bruins

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With the regular season now upon us, the bulk of the heavy lifting has been done from a roster perspective.  Most unrestricted free agents have found new homes, the arbitration period has come and gone, and the trade market has cooled.  Accordingly, it’s a good time to take a look at what each team accomplished over the offseason.  Next up is a look at the Boston Bruins.

The Bruins took a massive step back last season after being a powerhouse regular team in recent seasons. They moved on from several tenured veterans at the NHL Trade Deadline, and it showed as they fell down the Eastern Conference standings. This season, the team entered the regular season with their lowest expectations they’ve had in at least a decade. That being said, they do still have plenty of capable veterans on the team and should be able to compete on most nights, but likely don’t have the roster to make a significant push in the Eastern Conference.

Draft

1-7 – C James Hagens, Boston College (NCAA)
2-51 – C William Moore, U.S. National U18 Team (NTDP)
2-61 – D Liam Pettersson, Växjö Lakers J20 (J20 Nationell)
3-79 – F Cooper Simpson, Shakopee High (USHS-MN)
4-100 – D Vashek Blanár, Troja-Ljungby J18 (J18 Region)
5-133 – F Cole Chandler, Shawinigan (QMJHL)
6-165 – C Kirill Yemelyanov, Loko Yaroslavl (MHL)

With the seventh overall pick, the Bruins chose Hagens from Boston College. The Hauppauge, New York native is a highly elusive center who uses his agility to vary speeds, change directions, create space, evade defenders, and generate scoring chances for himself and his teammates. Hagens will contribute offensively and should be able to use his dynamic skating to lead a line and operate on the power play.

Physically, Hagens is undersized, and concerns have been raised about his size and strength. Some people wonder if his lack of size could limit his potential, but given his skating ability and game sense, he should be able to compensate for any skill deficiencies.

Moore is another center who will come up through Boston College and is more of an in-your-face type of player than Hagens. Moore prefers a straight-line game and will crash the net, acting as both a shooter and a setup man. Unlike Hagens, concerns exist about Moore’s skating and his ability to play the north-south game due to his lack of acceleration. Moore has a long way to go to reach his potential and will likely spend at least a few seasons at Boston College, but he represents a gamble—a draft pick with a very high ceiling given his size and offensive skills. His path to the NHL depends on his improving his skating and speed.

Later in the second round, the Bruins selected Pettersson, a puck-moving defenseman out of Sweden. Pettersson transitions the puck well and can skate or pass it out of the defensive zone to create a switchover from defense to offense. There are concerns about his defensive work and his ability to handle the physicality of the NHL game. Pettersson is 6’2” but just 170 lbs, which means he will likely need to fill out quite a bit to handle the rigours of the NHL forecheck.

The Bruins rolled the dice with their third-round pick, picking a risky prospect with a high ceiling in Simpson. The Shakopee, Minnesota, native has all the tools of a raw goalscorer, using his puck-handling in traffic to create deception, along with a quick release that can give goaltenders fits. His production at the high school level has been off the charts (49 goals and 34 assists in 31 games), but there are question marks about whether it will translate to higher levels of hockey. Simpson will need to improve his play away from the puck if he hopes to ascend to the NHL, as well as his overall conditioning. However, he represents a pick that could develop into a top-nine winger, and as a third-round pick, it would be a win for the Bruins.

Trade Acquisitions

F Viktor Arvidsson (from Edmonton)
D Victor Soderstrom (from Chicago)

The Bruins grabbed Arvidsson at a low cost after his struggles last season in Edmonton. The 32-year-old has a strong history as a productive offensive player, but he struggled last year after his usage decreased. Arvidsson is only two seasons removed from scoring 26 goals and 33 assists in 77 games, which would be excellent production at his current price of $4MM for this season. However, if he repeats last year’s pace, it won’t be a good deal, but since he’s only signed for this year, it’s not the end of the world. At worst, Arvidsson can be a trade asset at the deadline for the Bruins, or if he really struggles, they can let him go at the end of the season after only having invested a fifth-round pick. But if Arvidsson regains his form, he could help them push for a playoff spot or recover some assets if the team isn’t in contention.

UFA Signings

D Jonathan Aspirot (one year, $775K)*
RW Matej Blumel (one year, $875K)
C Patrick Brown (one year, $775K)*^
D Michael Callahan (one year, $775K)*^
G Michael Dipietro (two years, $1.625MM)^
F Michael Eyssimont (two years, $2.9MM)
D Jordan Harris (one year, $825K)
LW Tanner Jeannot (five years, $17MM)
D Henri Jokiharju (three years, $9MM)^
F Sean Kuraly (two years, $3.7MM)
C Alex Steeves (one year, $850K)
LW Riley Tufte (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract
^-denotes re-signing

The Bruins spent heavily in free agency during the summer of 2024, signing forward Elias Lindholm and defenseman Nikita Zadorov to costly long-term deals. Both of these contracts are now over a year old, and it’s fair to say they haven’t panned out as hoped. This offseason, Boston opted for a more cautious approach, adding a few bottom-six forwards and a couple of defensemen.

The Bruins’ significant addition was Jeannot, who has garnered a lot of mileage out of one decent season, signing a lucrative long-term deal worth $3.4MM per year. The 28-year-old had 24 goals and 41 points in 2021-22 but hasn’t topped seven goals or 18 points in any season since. Jeannot plays a fairly simple game, doesn’t do much with the puck, and hits a lot. His forechecking is solid, as is his work in front of the net, battling for position to create deflections, but beyond that, he doesn’t do much and probably won’t live up to his five-year deal.

Kuraly was a low-profile signing in Boston who plays a similar game to Jeannot but with much less physicality. Kuraly takes a low-event approach and doesn’t generate much offense or lead the play, but he is a reliable fourth-line defensive center who can contribute 20-30 points. Boston may actually be a good fit for Kuraly, as he is a solid penalty killer, has no problem throwing his body around, and should endear himself to Bruins fans with his play.

RFA Re-Signings

C John Beecher (one year, $900K)
C John Farinacci  (one year, $775K)*
C Morgan Geekie (six years, $33MM)
C Marat Khusnutdinov (two years, $1.85MM)
D Mason Lohrei (two years, $6.4MM)
C Georgii Merkulov (one year, $775K)*
D Victor Soderstrom (one year, $775K)*

*-denotes two-way contract

Locking up Geekie was a significant move for the Bruins this summer, especially since the 27-year-old was coming off a 33-goal season. Geekie had never scored more than 17 goals before last year, and he probably won’t shoot 22% regularly. However, given his track record as a middle-six forward, he should still provide value at $5.5MM annually. The risk for Boston is that if he reverts to an 11-13% shooter, which wouldn’t be an ideal value for his contract.

Lohrei plays a high-motor game, jumping into transition and moving the puck around the ice easily. He isn’t as talented as Bowen Byram of the Buffalo Sabres, but, like Byram, Lohrei’s skills are very noticeable. However, his on-ice results don’t quite match the eye test. As mentioned earlier, Lohrei moves around the ice with ease, is very active in transition, and can pass well, but none of that has yet translated into positive results, which is puzzling. It could also mean that Lohrei is ready for a breakout, which would be great news for Bruins’ management.

Departures

G Brandon Bussi (signed in Florida, one year $775K)*
F Cole Koepke (signed in Winnipeg, one year $1MM)
F Jakub Lauko (signed in Czechia)
F Vinni Lettieri (signed in Toronto, one year $775K)
D Ian Mitchell (signed in Detroit, one year $775K)
F Tyler Pitlick (signed in Minnesota, two years, $1.55MM)*
D Parker Wotherspoon (signed in Pittsburgh, two years, $2MM)

*-denotes two-way contract

The Bruins’ significant roster losses occurred before the NHL Trade Deadline, as the team shipped out players like Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and a few others. It was a clear signal that they were punting on the season, leaving very few players to depart in the off-season.

Wotherspoon arguably represents the most significant loss off the roster for Boston and has been a great fit in Pittsburgh so far, playing quite a bit on the Penguins’ second pairing alongside Erik Karlsson. The 28-year-old has been excellent so far, surpassing expectations even as he’s been asked to take on more heavy lifting. Wotherspoon has never played more than 55 NHL games in a season, which should make his usage going forward worth watching in Pittsburgh. Wotherspoon could be a case of a player not getting opportunities in Boston and finding a fit elsewhere, but it’s hard to assess given this season’s small sample size.

Koepke might be another player who thrives elsewhere after signing a one-year deal in Winnipeg. He isn’t known for his analytics and won’t put up many points, but he plays a low-event game and is dependable defensively. He brought a physical presence that the Bruins will miss in their bottom six, but given the lack of scoring from their bottom two lines, they didn’t really need to keep another forward who struggles to produce points.

Salary Cap Outlook

The Bruins currently have just over $1.7MM in cap space this season. There is no denying they have some very bloated contracts on the books right now, most of which are untradable at the moment. The Bruins are heavily relying on some of these overpriced veterans to bounce back and meet their hefty contracts. If they don’t, things could get ugly for Boston as they lack the long-term cap space to cover potential gaps. Next summer, Boston has 18 players signed and just shy of $20MM available in cap space, which could give them a chance to make one or two key additions. However, considering their recent struggles in free agency, they might be cautious about overpaying again.

Key Questions

Can Jeremy Swayman get back to form?

Swayman’s play last year fell short of expectations for him and the Bruins after signing a significant contract extension. It was his first season in Boston without Linus Ullmark, who was traded to Ottawa in the summer of 2024. Swayman missed the start of the season due to a contract holdout and only signed his eight-year, $66MM deal in early October, missing just one game. However, he missed all of training camp, and it showed in his performance last season, as he posted the worst stats of his career. Now, as he approaches 27, he’s hoping to rebound, along with the Bruins, whose season could depend on Swayman’s play.

Do they have enough depth scoring?

Boston is very fortunate to have David Pastrňák on their roster, especially last year when he scored 106 points, accounting for roughly 47% of the Bruins’ offense. The Bruins lack depth offensively, and while Pastrňák can carry a large share of the scoring, he can’t do it all alone. Boston has capable forwards in their top six, but their bottom two lines aren’t exactly overflowing with offensive talent, which could become a problem if they don’t have enough scoring to compete.

Can they compete for a playoff spot?

If Boston played in a weaker division, this answer could potentially be yes, but competing in the Atlantic Division makes it a struggle just to qualify as a wild-card team. Boston isn’t a terrible team, but it’s hard to imagine them finishing ahead of Florida, Toronto, Montreal, Tampa Bay, or Ottawa. That would place them sixth at best, and it’s fair to wonder if the Bruins are even better than Detroit, with whom they also compete in their division. Given the intense competition this season, it’s unlikely Boston makes the playoffs, but that’s why they play the games.

Latest On John Beecher, Charlie McAvoy, Casey Mittelstadt

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Several updates on the availability of their players have been reported today, namely Charlie McAvoy, Casey Mittelstadt, and John Beecher. Per The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa, the Bruins’ top defenseman McAvoy did not travel with the team due to a personal matter, while Mittelstadt did not travel due to an upper-body injury. In addition, team reporter Belle Fraser reported today that Beecher is out with his own upper-body injury.

These injuries have left the Bruins in a somewhat precarious position entering their game tonight against the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Bruins were already dealing with an injury to top center Elias Lindholm, who was later placed on injured reserve. According to Fraser, veteran Jeffrey Viel will replace Beecher on the Bruins’ fourth line, while Alex Steeves, who was recalled today from AHL Providence, will play on the team’s second line, the one centered by Pavel Zacha. Due to McAvoy’s absence, defenseman Mason Lohrei, a healthy scratch for the last five games, will draw back into the lineup. The Bruins are on a five-game winning streak, but these injuries are likely to test the sustainability of the club’s winning ways.

Bruins Place Elias Lindholm On IR, Recall Alex Steeves

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According to a team announcement, the Boston Bruins have placed forward Elias Lindholm on the injured reserve and recalled forward Alex Steeves in a corresponding roster move. Lindholm’s IR placement is likely retroactive to October 30th, when he originally sustained the injury.

The move was largely expected. Lindholm sustained a lower-body injury against the Buffalo Sabres on October 30th, and it was initially believed that he would miss several weeks. The Bruins confirmed the following day that the timeline was accurate after Lindholm underwent an MRI.

Before the injury, Lindholm had gotten off to a relatively solid start to the season. Through 13 games, Boston’s first-line center scored four goals and nine points with a 57.5% success rate in the faceoff dot. It wasn’t on par with his point-per-game average from the 2021-22 campaign with the Calgary Flames, though he would have bested last year’s performance by 10 or so points had he continued the pace.

Fortunately, the Bruins haven’t missed a beat since Lindholm exited the lineup. The team has utilized 23-year-old Marat Khusnutdinov in his stead, centering Morgan Geekie and David Pastrňák on Boston’s first line. The team has won three straight and has an important matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs this evening.

Meanwhile, the Bruins have recalled a former Maple Leaf to fill Lindholm’s void on the active roster. Steeves is in his first year with Boston after signing a one-year, $850K contract with them over the offseason. He cleared waivers on October 6th after failing to make the team’s roster out of training camp.

Thus far, Steeves has gotten off to a quality start with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, scoring three goals and eight points in nine games. Throughout his time with Toronto, which was largely spent with the AHL Marlies, Steeves scored one goal and three points in 14 NHL games from 2021 to 2025.

Injury Notes: Chatfield, Beecher, Hamilton

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Hurricanes defenseman Jalen Chatfield will not return to tonight’s game, per the team, after sustaining a brutal hit to the head from Wild forward Tyler Pitlick. Chatfield was helped off the ice and left the game immediately, while Pitlick received a match penalty from the game, which carries an automatic suspension pending review from the league. It stands as the first match penalty of the 2025-26 NHL season. 

Already missing Jaccob Slavin and Shayne Gostisbehere, the Canes can seldom afford to lose another defenseman. They have already called upon Joel Nystrom, who is getting his first NHL action this season after coming over from Sweden, being drafted by the club in the seventh round back in 2021. Meanwhile, Chatfield was signed to a rather unassuming two-way deal in 2021, but since then has become a highly reliable and steady presence for the Hurricanes on the backend, not playing in less than 72 games in the past three seasons. 

Pitlick, 34, has never been known as an overly aggressive player, but since making it back to the NHL this season with his hometown Minnesota Wild, the veteran has tried to bring physicality, and unfortunately, crossed the line in doing so. Pitlick has yet to record a point in nine games with the Wild, having last played in the NHL with the Rangers in 2023-24, splitting time between New York and the AHL in that season. Now, eyes will be on any further discipline on the journeyman forward. 

Elsewhere across the league:

  • The Boston Bruins confirmed mid-game that forward John Beecher will not return due to an upper-body injury. Beecher, 24, went down hard and appeared to be favoring his shoulder. The 24-year-old former first-round pick is still working to find his offense, with 26 points in 78 games last season, and one goal in five games so far in 2025-26. Yet even when not appearing on the scoresheet, Beecher brings imposing size in the bottom six at 6’3”. 
  • Devils defenseman Dougie Hamilton left during the second period against Montreal, and has not returned, as confirmed by Amanda Stein, Devils team reporter. Hamilton, 32, has unfortunately only one injury-free season in five as a Devil, his major breakout 74-points in 82 games campaign in 2022-23. New Jersey already placed fellow standout defender Brett Pesce on IR earlier today. The team has not disclosed further details on Hamilton at this time. 

 

Elias Lindholm Confirmed To Be Out Week-To-Week

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  • Last week, we covered news that Boston Bruins center Elias Lindholm would be out on a week-to-week basis with a lower-body injury suffered in the team’s Oct. 30 victory over the Buffalo Sabres. Today, the team confirmed to the media (including WEEI’s Scott McLaughlin) that Lindholm’s MRI confirmed that the center would be out with a week-to-week recovery timeline. It’s a significant loss for the Bruins, who count on Lindholm as a key top-six center. Lindholm lined up as the team’s number-one center in that Oct. 30 contest against Buffalo, a spot that has since been filled by Marat Khusnutdinov. Lindholm had gotten off to a solid start to the 2025-26 season, scoring nine points in 13 games. That’s a 57-point 82-game scoring pace, a notable improvement from last season when he scored 47 points across 82 games.

Bruins’ Elias Lindholm Out Multiple Weeks

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Bruins center Elias Lindholm will miss at least a few weeks with the lower-body injury he sustained in Thursday’s overtime win over the Sabres, head coach Marco Sturm told reporters today (including Adam Pellerin of NESN). He’s having an MRI today to more finely pinpoint the severity and recovery timeline.

Boston is not making a corresponding recall from AHL Providence at this time, Sturm said. They had 14 healthy forwards on the active roster, so they still have a healthy extra on hand with Lindholm sidelined. John Beecher will enter the lineup on Saturday against the Hurricanes after serving as a healthy scratch in three straight games and sitting out 10 of 13 contests this season, according to Sturm.

Lindholm was involved in a knee-on-knee collision with Buffalo forward Jordan Greenway near center ice just short of the halfway point of regulation. He needed assistance from trainers to leave the ice and didn’t return to the game.

Now in his second season in Boston, Lindholm has been stapled in as the Bruins’ top-line center with David Pastrňák on his right wing since opening night. They’ve had a rotating cast of left-wingers that’s included Marat Khusnutdinov and Pavel Zacha, but have mainly been deployed with Morgan Geekie at 5-on-5. Lindholm, 31 in December, is averaging 17:42 per game and has won 57.5% of his faceoffs. He’s fourth on the club with nine points (four goals, five assists) in 13 games, but despite his line’s offensive success, they’re giving up far more than they’re generating. He has a -3 rating while Geekie and Pastrňák have a -5. The trio has controlled just 38.1% of expected goals, by far the worst in the league among the nine forward lines that have spent over 100 minutes together this season, per MoneyPuck. They’ve been outscored 8-4 and out-attempted 134-103.

Boston’s offense has come out of the gates slightly better than expected, sitting just around league average at 3.31 goals per game. That’s largely been fueled by an early-season shooting bender from Geekie, who’s tied for the league lead with nine goals and is finishing at a 33.3% clip. Losing his middleman isn’t great news, but it won’t be the worst opportunity for Sturm to trial different names in the first-line pivot spot between him and Pastrňák to try and boost their two-way numbers. It will be Khusnutdinov getting the first crack at the job, according to the team’s Belle Fraser, fresh off an overtime winner against the Sabres.

With Lindholm out for at least seven days, the Bruins can retroactively place him on injured reserve if they need a roster spot. With over $1.6MM in cap space, they won’t need to do anything other than that to facilitate a recall.

Injury Notes: Jarvis, Lindholm, Nyquist

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Carolina Head Coach Rod Brind’Amour told Walt Ruff, Hurricanes team reporter, it “doesn’t look great” for Seth Jarvis, who left tonight’s game in the third period. Jarvis caught a hard shot in the ankle area, needing help off the ice. The injury occurred late in Carolina’s convincing win over the Islanders, unfortunately, at a point when the game was already seemingly out of reach. The Hurricanes are already missing several players, most notably Jaccob Slavin, K’Andre Miller, and Shayne Gostisbehere.

Although further updates should come tomorrow, Brind’Amour’s comments are quite concerning, if the 23-year-old is set to miss an extended time. Jarvis has been elite so far this season, over a point-per-game, with an eye-popping seven goals in ten games.

Elsewhere across the league:

  • Bruins forward Elias Lindholm left tonight’s game due to a lower-body injury, and the team has not provided updates, but Head Coach Marco Sturm told Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub, “it’s not typically a good sign”, that the forward had to be helped off the ice. Lindholm went down hard after running into Sabres forward Jordan Greenway at center ice. Lindholm’s absence will hopefully be limited, as he has looked much better so far in year two of his Bruins tenure, with nine points in 12 games. 
  • The Winnipeg Jets announced during tonight’s game that forward Gustav Nyquist would not return. There are no further details at this time, but the veteran was seen limping down the tunnel midway through the first period. Nyquist, 36, has yet to notch a goal with the Jets in 10 games, but he brings steady playmaking to the team’s middle six. Winnipeg went on to defeat Chicago in his absence. 

Bruins’ Jordan Harris Undergoes Surgery, Out For Two Months

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Oct. 30th: Harris and the Bruins have opted for surgery. Boston announced that Harris “underwent successful open reduction and internal fixation” surgery on his right ankle, which was fractured. He’s expected to miss the next two months.

Oct. 25th: The bad news continues to roll in for the Boston Bruins. Depth defenseman Jordan Harris is set to miss “a bit” with a lower-body injury, after stepping up to fill in for the injured Hampus Lindholm. Now, it appears Harris’ path to recovery could involve surgery, Bruins head coach Marco Sturm told Scott McLaughlin of WEEI. Boston placed Harris on injured reserve on October 22.

After placing Harris on IR and considering surgery, very little has emerged about the exact nature of the 25-year-old’s injury. He played in 15 minutes of ice time in Boston’s October 21 loss to the Florida Panthers and didn’t appear to sustain a noticeable injury. Nevertheless, Harris has sat out of Boston’s last two games, and could be due to miss quite a few more thanks to this injury.

A long-term absence would stain Harris’ first year in the Bruins organization. He signed a one-year, one-way, $825K contract with Boston on July 1st, and has two points in five games to start Boston’s season.

The move continued Harris’ journey around the Eastern Conference. He was originally drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the third-round of the 2018 NHL Draft. Harris made his NHL debut four seasons later, after a hardy career at Northeastern University. He scored just one goal in his first 10 NHL games, but proved reliable enough to earn a daily presence at the bottom of Montreal’s lineup. He played 131 games with Montreal between 2021 and 2024 – totaling 32 points, 56 penalty minutes, and a minus-five.

The moot production made Harris expendable when Montreal was faced with the chance to acquire Patrik Laine from the Columbus Blue Jackets. A deal was struck in August 2024, sending Laine and a 2026 second-round pick to Montreal for Harris. His tenure with Columbus was lined by a long string of healthy scratches, with Harris ultimately scoring just five points in 33 games with the club. That was scant enough to leave him unqualified at the start of the 2025 summer, opening the door for a deal in Boston.

After a few healthy scratches in Boston, Harris seemed to have a hardy grip on a bottom-pair role. Instead, he’ll have to once again face an extended period outside of the lineup. Harris has 39 points in 169 games in his NHL career, and has never played in the AHL. He will be a capable depth defender once he’s back to full health, though he may face a tough time getting into the lineup once Lindholm is back from injury.

Bruins To Activate Hampus Lindholm, Reassign Michael Callahan

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The Boston Bruins will have most of their defensive core intact for their upcoming contest tonight. According to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, the Bruins have activated Hampus Lindholm and assigned Michael Callahan to the AHL’s Providence Bruins in a corresponding roster move.

Lindholm has already missed eight games for Boston this season due to a lower-body injury. He originally suffered the injury against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 9th, leaving the game after only 4:26 of ice time. He has been skating with the team regularly since and managed a full game against the Colorado Avalanche on October 18th, but has had some lingering concerns since.

Still, considering his injury history from last year, the Bruins are likely being extremely cautious with Lindholm’s health. After scoring 13 goals and 79 points in 153 games with a +67 rating with Boston from 2022 to 2024, a fractured patella limited him to only 17 contests during the 2024-25 campaign.

The fact that he’s already missed eight games should be concerning. He’s been relatively unnoticeable in the three games he has played in, going scoreless with two shots on goal. His possession and defensive metrics have been particularly poor, managing a 34.2% CorsiFor% at even strength, and an 85.0% on-ice SV% at even strength.

Meanwhile, Callahan returns to Providence after three games with Boston. Like Lindholm, he went scoreless while averaging 16:27 of ice time, but managed much better possession metrics. Callahan was originally recalled when the Bruins placed Jordan Harris on IR, meaning Jonathan Aspirot will retain his spot on the roster for the time being.

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