NHL Players on the Verge of Being Run Out Town

It's early, but in some NHL cities, the fan base or the coaches have turned sour on players and they could be moved.

Sometimes, the best-laid plans don’t work out. It can happen in the NHL when a player is either traded for or signed in free agency, and they either don’t come as advertised or the fit just isn’t right.

Already, in the 2024-25 season, there are a few players who fit this description.

Elias Lindholm - Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins forked over big money to sign Elias Lindholm. The season prior, he was traded by the Calgary Flames to the Vancouver Canucks when the former couldn’t come to terms on an extension. In Vancouver, his stay was hot and cold. That didn’t stop Boston from thinking Lindholm could be a solution at center, especially after they’d lost Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci.

A seven-year, $54.25 million contract later, Lindholm has three goals and 13 points in 31 games. He’s on pace for between seven and eight goals on the season. It’s ugly, and fans are turning.

To make matters worse, Lindholm might have suffered an injury in Thursday’s game versus the Seattle Kraken.

Frankly, it was a bad off-season for GM Don Sweeney. He also spent huge money on Nikita Zadorov (who has underperformed) and traded Linus Ullmark before he’d secured a deal with goaltender Jeremy Swayman.

Nick (Nicholas) Robertson - Toronto Maple Leafs

So many fans and analysts advocated for Nick Robertson to get a legitimate shot at a regular NHL role in 2024-25; it’s becoming embarrassing for those people that Robertson has been so lousy this season.