Report: Boston Bruins signing ex-Canucks Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov

Free agency is here and in a big way. Less than an hour to the official opening of free agency, some of the dominos have already fallen for the big-name free agents and where they’ll end up for at least the 2024-2025 season. And unfortunately for Vancouver Canucks fans, it looks as though two former players already have new homes.

 

Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reported early Monday morning that there has been serious traction with Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov to sign with the Boston Bruins.

Oddly enough, this will be the third different team these two will play with each other in the last two seasons. Lindholm and Zadorov were both members of the Calgary Flames to start the 2023-2024 season and were later traded – in separate deals – to Vancouver.

Zadorov was acquired first, on November 30th in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2024 fifth round-pick. Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet was especially excited to bring the big 6’6, 248-lb defenceman to the team; “He’s a big guy, he can skate and he can shoot. We talked to him today an hour before the game, [he’s] really excited to come here. Our environment can really help him.”

Lindholm was acquired a few months later, on February 1st, in exchange for forward Andrei Kuzmenko, defensive prospects Hunter Brzustewicz and Joni Jurmo, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2024 fourth-round pick. Canucks General Manager had this to say when he acquired the Swedish centre; “I felt that giving us a right-shot center, a player that competed at the highest level for years and being a really solid 200-foot player makes us harder to play against and gives our coaching staff more options in in the top six.”

The details of these contracts have yet to be released, but it looks like this pair of former Canucks will be shipping it off to Boston.

UPDATE: Irfaan Gaffar is reporting that Lindholm’s contract in Boston is a seven-year deal with a $7.75 million AAV. Zadorov’s contract is for six years at $5 million, per Elliotte Friedman.

To stay up to date with all the free agent signings today, check out our live blog here!