Elias Lindholm’s deal with the Boston Bruins is being viewed as one of the worst during the free agency period by Sports Illustrated.

The Vancouver Canucks lost a key piece in free agency early last week as the Boston Bruins agreed to terms on a seven-year deal with Elias Lindholm that’ll see him earn $7.75 annually until the conclusion of the 2030-31 season.

It’s a lot of money for the Bruins to commit to Elias Lindholm, but he fits the need Boston had for a centerman to play in their top-six. Every year in the free agency window, we see teams hand out a lot of money and some tend to overpay for a specific need, which may have been the case here with the Bruins and Elias Lindholm.

In a recent article on Sports Illustrated, Jacob Punturi shared his three worst contracts of free agency, so far, and coming in at second on his list was Elias Lindholm seven-year, $54.25 million deal with Boston.

Punturi says that this is another example of overpaying for a specific need and it’s a lot of money to commit to someone who has only had two seasons with 70 or more points. He adds that the Bruins are paying Lindholm like he’s Patrice Bergeron when the Swedish forward is a 50-point player.

“This is another example of overpaying for a need. The Boston Bruins need a number-one center, and identified Elias Lindholm as the solution. They attempted to trade for him this past season, but couldn’t finalize a deal. They only had to wait a few more months to sign him to a massive extension.

The Bruins signed Lindholm to a seven-year deal with an AAV of $7.75 million. It’s a huge commitment for a player with just two seasons of 70 points or more over 11 NHL seasons. He’s historically a 50-point player, and the Bruins are paying him like he is Patrice Bergeron.

Lindholm will improve the Bruins, that isn’t up for debate. He may even reach the 70-point mark again, but there’s a far better chance that he underperforms for the next seven seasons, and the Bruins will still need a number-one center.”

Lindholm, 29, had a tough regular season with the Vancouver Canucks after being traded to them by the Calgary Flames in January. In 26 games, he had 12 points, but he did follow that up with a strong showing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs by tallying ten points in 13 games.

It’s too early to tell how Elias Lindholm’s contract will age and while he may fit a pressing need the organization has right now, down the line in years five, six and seven of this deal, it’s hard to say what type of player he’ll be and whether or not he’ll still be a top-six forward at that point.