Bruins’ Morgan Geekie could be in line for a larger role down the middle

By Morgan Geekie may not be the flashiest player out on the ice. But the 25-year-old forward has developed a knack of making the most of whatever opportunity is handed to him when he hops over the boards. During his last season with the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23, Geekie only averaged 10:28 of ice time per game.

But during those limited shifts, he still managed to tally nine goals and 28 total points over just 69 games. Overall, there were 593 NHL skaters who logged at least 500 minutes of 5v5 ice time last season. k, Geekie’s 2.

47 5v5 points per 60 minutes of play ranked 31st in the league — ahead of names like Clayton Keller (2. 46), Jack Eichel (2. 45), Leon Draisaitl (2.

41), Alex Ovechkin (2. 31), and Matty Beniers (2. 21).

That impressive production under limited minutes sparked plenty of intrigue with the Bruins, who signed him to a two-year, $4 million contract in July. For Boston, the hope was that the 6-foot-3 skater would have more to give with more responsibilities placed upon his shoulders. That opportunity finally presented itself on Saturday afternoon against the Coyotes.

With Pavel Zacha ruled out for the final two periods of play due to an upper-body injury, Geekie stepped into a featured role down the middle for Boston — recording a primary helper on a David Pastrnak tally while logging 17:31 of ice time. Geeks gettin’ gritty 💪 “In the first period, he had a couple of great forechecks where he out-battled, won 50-50 battles,” Jim Montgomery said of Geekie’s game. “We didn’t think we were winning enough 50-50 battles for about a 10-minute stretch, and then he had a great reload where he came back hard and he dove and poked the puck back away from them.

That’s the second and third effort that’s going to get you more ice time. ” Any extended absence for Zacha would be a tough hit for a Bruins roster that already took to the ice on Saturday without Charlie McAvoy and Derek Forbort. But if Boston’s top-six pivot is on the shelf for an extended stretch, Geekie stands as an intriguing contingency plan down the middle.

“Obviously any time a player his caliber goes down, it’s kind of a hit to us,” Geekie said postgame. “But we’ve got a good group. Everyone’s gonna stay, everyone’s gonna play more minutes.

So I’m just trying to go out there to do my job and just fit in anywhere I can …. You’ve got to figure out ways to win in this league, and that’s what we did tonight. ” Once viewed as an early candidate to slot in as Boston’s third-line center at the start of training camp, Geekie was pushed to wing this fall — especially after rookie Matt Poitras exceeded expectations at carved out a spot on the NHL roster.

Despite some strong returns next to Poitras on Boston’s de-facto third line in October and early November, Geekie has largely been slotted all over the Bruins’ depth chart through the first quarter of the 2023 season. Before his in-game promotion on Saturday, Geekie was skating on the fourth line next to Johnny Beecher. “I’m just trying to fit in wherever,” Geekie said of his lack of stability in the lineup.

“Obviously, we’re a great team and we know we have some details that we got to iron out and stuff like that. “But I’ve said it before. I’m just happy to be here and I’m happy to jump in anywhere that I can — whether that’s like tonight where I was playing a little more or [playing] more of us a shutdown role on the fourth line.

I’m just happy to be here and feel grateful that I get to play every day. ” Geekie’s baseline stats may not leap off the page, but his knack for carrying the puck down low has routinely led to Grade-A chances for him and his teammates. Geekie ranks sixth on the Bruins with 3.

33 high-danger scoring chances generated by 60 minutes at 5v5 play, with those high-quality looks likely leading to better results if he’s placed around top-six talent. During Geekie’s 7:42 of 5v5 ice time next to Pastrnak on Saturday, the Bruins held an 11-3 edge in shot attempts, outshot Arizona, 6-2, and held a 1-0 advantage in goals scored. Not a bad showing for a player who opened the game in a checking role.

Of course, there stands a chance that Zacha is not on the shelf for long, with more clarity expected on Monday. But for all of the questions regarding Boston’s pivot pipeline entering the 2023-24 season, the Bruins do have several solid contingency plans in place at the position — with Geekie leading the pack. Get breaking news and analysis delivered to your inbox during hockey season.

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