It’s hard to overlook Hampus Lindholm’s impact on the Boston Bruins’ 2022-23 season.
The 29-year-old defenseman bore the responsibility of leading the defensive core while Charlie McAvoy recuperated from a shoulder procedure in June that caused him to miss the first 13 games of the season.
Lindholm, in his first full season with the Bruins, solidified himself as a top defenseman in the league even after McAvoy returned. The 29-year-old finished with a career-high in points (53) and led all skaters in plus/minus with a plus-49. In fact, the top three skaters that led plus/minus all donned the Spoked-B. Matt Grzelcyk and Brando Carlo were just behind Lindholm at plus-46 and plus-44, respectively.
Now, the 10-year veteran had a moment to reflect on the Black and Gold’s historic season before beginning the quest for the franchise’s seventh Stanley Cup.
“It was a special season,” Lindholm told Bruins reporter Eric Russo following the team’s Saturday practice at Warrior Ice Arena. “Within all the wins, there’s still a lot of ups and downs, and I think you’ve seen us battle through all this together. … It was impressive, and it was a fun journey.”
The Bruins will host the Florida Panthers in the first round of the playoffs that begin Monday night, and Lindholm knows the challenge of facing the team that beat them twice in the regular season.
“They’re a good hockey club. They’re in the playoffs for a reason, and there’s not a team you’re gonna face in playoffs that’s not a good hockey team,” Lindholm said. “At end of the day, it will be about us. We can step our game up here and get back to Bruins hockey.”
Since the Bruins acquired Dmitry Orlov at the trade deadline, he’s given Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery the luxury of rotating the defenseman to ensure they are healthy and rested for the postseason.
With seven more than capable defensemen, Montgomery will have the tough task of deciding which one to sit in Game 1, but it definitely won’t be Lindholm or McAvoy. However, it’s still unknown if Derek Forbort will have checked all the boxes in time for Game 1, so that could aid Montgomery in his decision.
The Bruins held a hard practice with a scrimmage at the end so Montgomery could gauge Forbort and Nick Foligno’s conditioning at game speed and how their bodies react to it. Foligno has made it known he wants to return for the series.
The Bruins are scheduled for one final tuneup Sunday morning, followed by a morning skate on Monday before taking on the Panthers Monday night. Puck drop from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. You can catch the game, plus an hour of pregame coverage, on NESN.
