Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has a few contracts on his books that he’d love a clean escape from, but that’s not how this is going to work. As the Bruins head toward what looks like a set training camp next month at Warrior Ice Arena, there are at least three deals that look effectively stuck.
That’s the reality with NHL roster building: every front office wishes it had a do-over somewhere. For Boston, these are the kinds of contracts that could sit there for a while, whether the Bruins like it or not.
Elias Lindholm is the headliner here. Two summers ago, Sweeney believed he had finally locked down his top-line center when he signed Lindholm to a seven-year deal with a $7.75 million AAV.
The production hasn’t matched the price tag. Over two seasons in Boston, Lindholm has 34 goals and 61 assists, and he’s already slid down the lineup.
The warning signs were already there in 2023-24, when he put up 15 goals and 29 assists between the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames. Back injuries have also been part of his Boston stint, which hasn’t helped matters.
If there’s one Bruin who needs a big 2026-27, it’s Lindholm.
Casey Mittlestadt is a different situation, but the contract still lands in the same category. That deal wasn’t one Sweeney handed out - it came from the Colorado Avalanche, and Boston brought Mittlestadt in as part of the Charlie Coyle trade at the March 2025 deadline.
He’s got one year left at a $5.75 million AAV. The 27-year-old posted 15 goals and 27 assists last season while skating on the second line with Pavel Zacha and Viktor Arvidsson, though Arvidsson departed in free agency for the Detroit Red Wings.
If the Bruins need to move money around, Mittlestadt’s contract could become a candidate for retention.
Then there’s Hampus Lindholm, the defenseman on this list. His deal carries a $6.5 million AAV and still has four years remaining, which is a tough shape for a contract that could be aging into the wrong side of things.
He’ll be 36 when it expires, and it’s anyone’s guess where Boston will be by then. Injuries have already complicated his time with the Bruins, and expecting him to handle top minutes for the long haul doesn’t exactly point toward an easy finish.
Sweeney isn’t likely to move him now, but this is not the kind of contract that projects as a simple trade chip later, either.
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