It has been quite the season for the Boston Bruins in 2024-25. A lot of the conversation lies with the roster construction and how the Bruins could use more high-end talent. They are in the playoff mix, but they struggle to score goals. General manager Don Sweeney could make a move and shake up this roster. If he is to look to the future, one player he should look to keep around is winger Morgan Geekie.
Geekie Is a Perfect Complementary Piece
When you look at the way the Bruins’ roster is constructed, there are numerous players who are playing in roles they typically wouldn’t be playing in. Give credit to the players who have taken on those roles and thrived. One of them is Justin Brazeau, who has been on the second line and is third on the team in goals. He’s not a player you’d expect to be there, but he’s doing his job. The same thing can be said for Geekie.
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Is Geekie a traditional top-six winger? No. Has he shown that he can play up and down the lineup and thrive on the top line? Yes. It was a tough season for Geekie to start, but he has managed to turn things around. This is a player who had five points in October and November combined. However, a monstrous December with 11 points brought back the Geekie we all loved and remembered from last season. Since Dec. 1, Geekie has eight goals and 15 points.
The biggest thing about Geekie is he may not be the fastest skater, but he has a lethal shot and that’s primarily what he is good at. Once he finds open space, he will bury his chances, and he has shown that lately. The line of Geekie, Pavel Zacha, and David Pastrnak has done a good job, scoring the most goals of any Bruins line combination. They’ve also been the most consistent that has stayed together.
With the success of Geekie during his tenure as a Bruin, Sweeney should be looking into keeping him beyond 2024-25.
Sweeney Should Lock Up Geekie
The tenure of Geekie has gone really well for the Bruins. Compared to his other stints with the Carolina Hurricanes and Seattle Kraken, Geekie has seen more opportunities for himself. He has also made the most of them. In the 2023-24 season, Geekie broke out of his shell and scored a career-high 17 goals and 39 points. He also set a career-best 13.1% for his shooting percentage. This season, he’s turned things around and now has 10 goals (tied for third on the Bruins) and 20 points (tied for fifth on the Bruins). Again, he may not be the top-six winger he is playing like right now, but he is a great complementary piece on a team like the Bruins that wants to win the Stanley Cup.
Geekie is a restricted free agent (RFA), so that plays into Sweeney’s favor. Geekie currently makes $2 million per season and is likely due to a significant raise. One contract that could be a good comparable is the contract the Ottawa Senators gave Ridly Greig.
Greig signed a four-year contract with a $3.25 million annual average value (AAV) on Jan. 10. Now, Greig is four years younger than Geekie, so that does play a factor. Although, they’ve been on similar trajectories production-wise in the stages of their NHL careers.
Given what Geekie has been able to do with the Bruins and break out of his shell, he will likely seek a raise. It could be a raise of $1.5 million or a bit more, especially if the salary cap is expected to rise like it is.
The Bruins need more high-end talent and they have a few gems sitting in the pipeline they need to bring up. But Geekie should be on the to-do list for Sweeney and upper management.
Geekie Makes the Bruins Better
Geekie has shown that he is a good player in his time with the Bruins. He’s gotten an expanded role and handles it well. With the Bruins expected to compete for the Stanley Cup, Geekie is the perfect depth player and complementary piece to this team. With him being an RFA, the Bruins should look to lock him up longer term and keep him in the fold. He has certainly earned it.
