The Boston Bruins look like they made solid contact in landing Hampus Lindholm.
ESPN's Kristen Shilton believes the Bruins defenseman already has boosted his new team, despite arriving in Boston just 10 days ago just before the NHL trade deadline. Lindholm has partnered Charlie McAvoy on the Bruins' top defensive pairing. However, Boston's offense has benefitted most from Lindholm's presence so far.
"The Bruins went on a great post-deadline run, just as Hampus Lindholm entered the chat," Shilton wrote. "Boston's big swing before the deadline was shoring up the blue line, and Lindholm's already at home. He gets the Bruins up ice faster, attacks the zone and has a terrific first pass. Exactly what Boston needed, when they needed it."
The Bruins have scored 13 goals in three games with Lidnholm in tow, and their 4.33 goals scored per game in that span is much higher than their season average of 3.09. He also has chipped in with one assist and has a plus-3 rating. These numbers alone suggest Shilton's argument is sound.
The speed with which Lindholm is gelling with his other teammates also stands out. He made a solid first impression in his Bruins debut, and fellow players already have spoken about how well he fits in with the group.
There surely is plenty more to come from Lindholm and the B's.
