On Mar. 8, 2024, the Boston Bruins acquired defenseman Andrew Peeke from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jakub Zbořil and a third-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft. The 25-year-old righthanded defenseman is slated to be on the third pairing with Parker Wotherspoon and should debut with the Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday night.
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At Tuesday’s team’s annual picture day, Peeke wore jersey #52, becoming the ninth player to wear the digits in Bruins history, the latest one since Sean Kuraly (2017-2021). As an unrestricted free agent last summer, he re-signed with the Blue Jackets on a three-year deal worth $8.2 million. The agreement runs through the 2025-26 season and carries a cap hit of $2.75 million, making him the fifth highest-paid defender in the Boston lineup.
Heading into the summer of 2024, the Bruins will have two unrestricted free agents on the backend: Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk. Peeke’s addition helps offset any potential departures. In 218 career games, he’s scored 10 goals and 42 points while earning a minus-60 rating. Thus far in 2023-24, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound defenseman has averaged 15:37, down from his career average 19:47.
Who Is Andrew Peeke?
Peeke was born on Mar. 17, 1998, in Parkland, Florida. He played college hockey at Notre Dame, where he was captain his junior season in 2018-19, scoring 24 points in 40 games. Over three seasons with the Fighting Irish, he had 52 points in 119 games. Before lacing up his skates in the NCAA, he was a USPHL 16U champion in 2014 and won the USPHL 18U Defenseman of the Year award in 2018.
Additionally, he won back-to-back NCAA (B1G) championships in 2018 and 2019, earning Hockey East All-Rookie Team (2017) and All-Tournament team honors (2019). On the international stage, he’s won a World Junior A Challenge Bronze Medal (2016) and a U20 WJC Bronze Medal (2018) with Team USA.
The Blue Jackets drafted him with the 34th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. During his first season of professional hockey, 2019-20, he split time between the Blue Jackets (22 games) and the Cleveland Monsters in the American Hockey League (AHL), collecting 19 points. He made his NHL debut on Dec. 5, 2019, against the New York Rangers, skating 17 shifts, totaling 12:53. Peeke spent two weeks with the Blue Jackets before returning to the NHL on Feb. 8, 2020, and remained with the club until the beginning of March.
His first point (an assist) came in his sixth game on Dec. 16, 2020, against the Washington Capitals, while his first goal came in his 12th game on Feb. 16, 2020, against Mackenzie Blackwood and the New Jersey Devils. With only 10 career goals, he’s yet to score against his new team and has two empty net goals to his credit, still waiting to get a special team’s lamplighter.
Where Peeke Fits Into the Bruins Lineup
After a disappointing season in 2022-23, when he skated in 80 games, collecting 13 points and a team-worse minus-41 rating, Peeke had fallen off the depth chart in Columbus, skating in only 23 games this season. Considering the Blue Jackets switched head coaches twice in the off-season, he often found himself as the odd man out, skating in one game in October, three in November, and nine in December.
At the start of 2024, he dressed in seven games before leaving the lineup for a month, getting into the Blue Jacket’s last three games before the trade deadline on Mar. 8. In 2023-24, he averaged 21:15 in ice time, and this season he’s played more than 15 minutes in just 11 contests. Although there is no indication of how much ice time Peeke would play in Boston, if he maintains his average of 15:37, his totals will fall in line with the numbers Ian Mitchell (15:18) and Shattenkirk (15:43).
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Heading into their contest against Montreal on Thursday, the Bruins will have 15 games left in the regular season and are on pace to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs as a top team in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, Peeke will have a chance to skate in his first playoff game and have an impact on a team with championship aspirations. Given his success outside of his time in Columbus, hopefully, the newest addition to the Bruins lineup will regain the form that made him a high second-round draft pick status.
