Hampus Lindholm injury: Bruins GM Don Sweeney provides big update on injured D-man

The Boston Bruins received some bad news on Sunday regarding the status of one of their top defenseman, Hampus Lindholm.

The 31-year-old is unlikely to return this season as he continues to deal with a fractured patella. He will be undergoing a follow-up surgery on the injury next week.

General manager Don Sweeney provided the news in his media availability on Sunday afternoon. Bruins reporter Conor Ryan shared Sweeney's comments on X (formerly Twitter).

"Sweeney: Hampus Lindholm is "unlikely" to return this season. Suffered a fractured patella and had surgery," Ryan wrote.

Lindholm suffered the injury blocking a Justin Faulk shot in the first period of a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 12.

It's a big blow for the Bruins, who are continuing to push for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. With a 27-24-7 record and 61 points, they sit one point behind the Detroit Red Wings (62 points) and Ottawa Senators (62 points) for a wildcard spot.

Lindholm has appeared in just 17 games in the 2024-25 season. He recorded seven points (three goals, four assists) in those games while averaging 20:51 of ice-time for the B's.

Hampus Lindholm's absence has hampered the Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins have certainly missed Hampus Lindholm.

Through 17 games with the Swedish defenseman in the lineup, Boston was 8-7-2 (18 points), good for third in the Atlantic division. They've since gone 19-17-5 without Lindholm, falling out of a playoff spot.

The 2022 trade deadline acquisition has been a tremendous fit, with the Bruins registering 91 points (16 goals, 75 assists) while having a whopping +73 rating in 180 games. He's averaged 22-23 minutes of ice time per game, playing in all situations, including power play and penalty kill.

Boston will be in a tough situation without Lindholm and Charlie McAvoy (shoulder) for the foreseeable future. Nikita Zadorov, Brandon Carlo and Mason Lohrei will be relied upon to handle much larger roles on the backend.

The Bruins continue their season without Hampus Lindholm on Tuesday night when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs. The puck drops at 7 p.m. ET at TD Garden.