The Boston Bruins have three defensemen locked down until 2030, and all three played significant but different roles during the 2025-26 season.

Charlie McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm both returned from season-ending injuries, but the injury bug did not stop once the season started. Nikita Zadorov, who emerged as a reliable top-pair option in their absence, played big minutes this season, even on the third pair.

Between injuries, lineup changes, and different partners, all three were asked to take on different responsibilities throughout the season. McAvoy remained the Bruins’ top defenseman, Lindholm tried to find form in another injury-filled year, and Zadorov continued to provide a physical 20-minute game every night.

Season Stats: GP: 69; G: 11, A: 50, Pts: 61; +/-: +13, PIM: 62; ATOI: 24:23

Playoff Stats: GP: 6; G: 0, A: 2, Pts: 2; +/-: -6, PIM: 19; ATOI: 25:37

McAvoy went through it during the 2024-25 season, which for him concluded at the Four Nations Faceoff with a season-ending shoulder injury. He fully recovered last summer, then went to Vegas and told Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas that the Bruins are a playoff team, “every day of the week.”

He’s long been a pillar of the Bruins’ defense, taking on first-pair duties with Zdeno Chara as a rookie and remaining a constant on the top pair long after Big Zee’s departure. That was no different this season. With the captaincy open and a new head coach coming in, McAvoy was expected to take on even more of a leadership role as well.

McAvoy rebounded from his injury and posted career-high numbers in assists and points. He took off in the back half of the season, posting 41 (10-31–41) after the New Year. He also had 23 points (2-21–23) on the power play, another career-high.

Much like last year, McAvoy went through the wringer this season. In November, he took a puck to the jaw, had surgery, lost 20 pounds, and returned less than a month later. He took more blows later on in the season, losing more teeth, and eating a dirty elbow from Sandis Vilmanis just before the Olympic break.

Even though his offense increased, McAvoy finished with an expected goal share below 50% (48.49%) for the first time in his NHL career. He played on the first pair, starting out with Mason Lohrei, playing briefly with Zadorov, and finishing the year alongside the surprising Jonathan Aspirot.

The playoffs were not McAvoy’s best, but he was playing through a broken hand in the last few games. He had two assists and finished with a minus-six rating, the worst among Bruins defensemen.

Though Aspirot proved to be a great signing and a “pleasant surprise,” McAvoy would benefit from more stability on the top pair. He has found success with Hampus Lindholm in the past, and Zadorov has proven he can handle minutes alongside McAvoy when called on.

McAvoy, like all of these defensemen, is not going anywhere. He is woven into the Bruins’ plans for the future, and he will have a crucial part in it regardless of whether he is wearing the ‘C’ or not. He has a full no-move clause until 2028, then trade protection for his last two years.

McAvoy was also suspended for the first six games of the 2026-27 regular season after slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson.

Season Stats: GP: 67; G: 5, A: 21, Pts: 26; +/-: +3, PIM: 58; ATOI: 21:37

Playoff Stats: GP: 6; G: 0, A: 2, Pts: 2; +/-: -4, PIM: 8; ATOI: 22:51

Much like McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm’s 2024-25 season ended early. He missed the last 65 games after suffering a fractured kneecap in a November 2024 game against the Blues. He had the full summer to recover, and he entered the 2025-26 season fully healthy.

Lindholm, a staple of the Bruins’ top four since being acquired in 2022, was expected to do no different this season. The only looming question about Lindholm pertained to his health. He was not expected to get Norris Trophy votes like 2022-23; he has regressed since then, but he can still provide reliable top-four minutes when healthy.

Unfortunately, Lindholm did not hit the ground running. He suffered an unrelated injury in just the second game of the season, then missed eight of the following nine games. He told reporters that he had a small foot fracture around the holiday break, and he missed time after the Bruins returned.

His play, whether it was due to the injuries or not, took a step back this season. He still provided top-four minutes, but he was not as dependable as he was in his first few seasons with Boston. He also only had two points in the playoffs, which is not nearly enough offense from the blue line.

He did have 26 points in the regular season, which tied for the second most from a Bruins’ defenseman, and the same number as he posted in 2023-24.

Playing Lindholm with Andrew Peeke was a risk at times; they were outscored 21-8 while on the ice together at 5-on-5, the worst differential out of any defensive pairing on the Bruins this season. Lindholm and Henri Jokiharju were also outscored 12-7 when together.

Lindholm averaged 2:43 of shorthanded ice time per night, and he was on the ice for 21 of the 64 power play goals the Bruins allowed this season. The penalty kill flipped after the Olympic break, and that continued into the postseason, where they only allowed one power play goal.

Hampus Lindholm is in it for the long haul. He is signed until 2030, and his no-trade clause kicks to a 15-team no-trade list for the last three years of his deal.

Lindholm has worked on a pair with McAvoy, and Marco Sturm was never hesitant to plug them together when he needed a mid-game spark. However, the Bruins need a right-shot defenseman, and if they bring in a younger RFA option, they can slot in alongside Lindholm and steady the second pair.

Season Stats: GP: 81; G: 2, A: 20, Pts: 22; +/-: +18, PIM: 152; ATOI: 20:53

Playoff Stats: GP: 6; G: 0, A: 1, Pts: 1; +/-: -1, PIM: 37; ATOI: 19:35

The Bruins know what they have in Nikita Zadorov. He’s a 6-foot-7 shutdown defenseman who can play a physical game, police the blue line, and kill penalties, but he takes a lot of them, too.

He’s a leader inside the locker room, and while he may not wear the alternate’s ‘A’ on a regular basis, he is one of the first in line to fill in when any of them draw out.

He had a solid first season after signing with the Bruins, tying a career-high 22 points (4-18–22) and filling into a top-pair role with the newly acquired Henri Jokiharju after the trade deadline.

Zadorov, for the second straight season, put 22 points on the board, again tying his career-high. He only scored twice, but said he wanted to work on his shot volume, knowing he is capable of more. In the 2022-23 season, Zadorov scored 14 goals for Calgary, but he has not eclipsed the 10-goal mark any other time in his career.

While at 5-on-5, the Bruins outscored opponents 61-47 with Zadorov on the ice, even though he had a 48.45% Corsi share.

Zadorov is also a penalty killer, logging an average of 2:39 shorthanded time on ice per night. But he led the league in penalty minutes for the second year in a row, beating his 2024-25 number by seven. The Bruins were the second-most penalized team in the NHL this season, and they lose a key penalty killer every time it’s Zadorov.

He loves to hit, and he loves to play physical. Both of those things embody the Bruins’ identity.

During Round 1, Jeremy Swayman was the subject of Sabres hits after the whistle, and Zadorov took no exception. After the game, he said it was “my job to step in,” and said that’s how he was taught to play.

He also tore his MCL “fully off the bone” in the playoffs, but said he will not need surgery.

While he spent much of the season on the third pair, Zadorov can play top-four minutes, and he did when players were hurt or lines were shuffled. He has averaged over 20 minutes a night in each of his two seasons in Boston. Further, the Bruins paid him as a top-four defenseman, but playing him on the third pair worked this season, as did moving him up.

The Bruins want speed and skill this summer, but their physical identity will be hard to get rid of. Zadorov fits the team’s identity, and he is not an easy player to replicate.

Zadorov has trade protection in the last four years of his contract, and in the last three years, it is an eight-team no-trade list.

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