Contract talks are currently dominating the Boston Bruins’ news cycle with everything coming out about the Jeremy Swayman negotiations in recent days. But also recently while speaking to the press, general manager Don Sweeney revealed that he has already begun discussions with Brad Marchand, Morgan Geekie, and Trent Frederic’s camps on contract extensions.
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All three players are coming off of solid 2023-24 seasons, and enter 2024-25 with high hopes and expectations. For Marchand of course, this is no surprise as he has been a top-end player for the Bruins for over a decade. In the case of Frederic and Geekie, both have stepped their games up tremendously in the past few seasons and eyes will be on them to see how high they can go.
It is no surprise that the Bruins are interested in signing all three of them to extensions. The question of course is whether or not they will be able to afford all three of them.
Brad Marchand
Marchand’s current contract has been an absolute steal for the Bruins. He signed an eight-year extension that went into effect in the 2017-18 season and carries an average annual value (AAV) of $6.125 million. It is arguably one of the best contracts in the NHL in terms of team friendliness.
Last season, Marchand finished with 29 goals and 67 points, the same amount of points as Evgeni Malkin from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Malkin signed a four-year extension in 2022 when he was 36 that carries an AAV of $6.1 million. When predicting Marchand’s next contract, I think that is a good one to look to for a comparison given their similar stat lines from last season and age.
The Bruins captain is still an essential part of this offense and put up the second-most points on the team in 2023-24 (trailing only David Pastrnak). I think out of the three, he has the highest likelihood of sticking around Boston. I don’t think anyone can picture Marchand in any other jersey than the spoked-B.
My prediction for his next contract is three years with an AAV in the $5-6 million range. He’s still playing at a high level, despite not being near 100 points a season anymore, and hasn’t shown much signs of dropping off yet.
Trent Frederic
The Bruins’ 2016 first-round draft pick has flourished under head coach Jim Montgomery. He reached the 40-point mark for the first time last season. Watching him play, it feels like there is still room for him to grow, making him an exciting player to watch going into the 2024-25 season.
Frederic’s last contract was signed in 2023 after going to arbitration, a two-year deal with an AAV of $2.3 million. It was a show-me contract, an opportunity for him to prove that he could continue to grow and improve from his breakout 2022-23 season. He did just that last season, and as long as he doesn’t take a huge step backward, he has earned a much bigger payday going into his next contract.
When looking for potential contract comparisons, it is a bit difficult when it comes to Frederic since he’s continued to improve on his point totals the last three seasons in a row. He hasn’t hit a plateau, and it isn’t clear either if he’s hit his peak. The best comparison would probably be Ross Colton, who signed a four-year deal with an AAV of $4 million with the Colorado Avalanche in 2023. He also hit 40 points for the first time last season, and plays a similar type of role as Frederic.
My prediction for his next contract is that it’ll be something similar to Colton’s, four years with an AAV of $4-4.5 million. If he once again hits another career high in points this season, I believe that AAV will creep higher to the $4.5 million range, maybe even closer to $5 million. There is of course a chance he could get higher than that on the open market if he decides to go to free agency, so the Bruins are definitely going to want to get him signed to an extension at some point this season if they see him in the team’s future.
Morgan Geekie
Geekie’s next contract is probably going to be something similar to Frederic’s. He had 17 goals and 39 points in 76 games in 2023-24. Again, similarly to Frederic, he has been consistently seeing his numbers improve over the past three seasons as he’s gotten expanded roles, both in Boston and with his previous team, the Seattle Kraken.
The interesting thing with Geekie this season is that he’s expected to start in the top six on a line with Marchand and Charlie Coyle. This will give him increased playing time, and could see a boost in his production if he is able to rise to the occasion of playing with those guys more consistently. He did get some time on the second line last season, but after the best season of his career, expectations are certainly higher for him entering 2024-25.
Unless he really takes off and gets 60-plus points this season, my prediction for Geekie’s next contract is similar to Frederic’s: three years, $3.75 – 4.5 million AAV. Most likely he will be doubling his current AAV of $2 million, which could end up looking like an absolute steal this season.
Will All Three Return to Boston?
These contract numbers are all obviously speculation as conversations are just beginning and all three guys as well as the Bruins are going to want to see at least a little bit of how this season plays out before signing them.
As mentioned, Marchand is the one that is most likely to stick around Boston. He has spent his whole career there and is essential to the roster given his role as captain. The Bruins really shouldn’t let him walk, and I don’t think he’ll want to, so this deal should be a pretty easy one to get done.
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Frederic and Geekie will be a bit more complicated, especially if one or both of them have astronomical seasons. The NHL’s salary cap is expected to rise for the 2025-26 season with early estimates having it come in at $92.5 million. Both guys will also only be 27 next summer, and may be interested in testing the free agency market in their primes. While the Bruins certainly should and will want to keep them both, there is a chance they won’t be able to afford to do so.
There are still probably at least a few months before any news of contract extensions other than Swayman’s come out. But, all three will certainly be important ones to keep an eye on as the season gets underway.
