“That’s the second and third effort that’s going to get you more ice time.”
Perhaps not the most visually striking player on the ice is Morgan Geekie.
However, the 25-year-old forward has honed his ability to take advantage of any opportunity that comes his way when he jumps over the boards.
In 2022–23, Geekie’s final season with the Seattle Kraken, he played in just 10:28 minutes per game on average. However, in just 69 games, he was still able to record nine goals and 28 total points during those few shifts.
593 NHL players in total played at least 500 minutes of 5v5 hockey in the previous season. Geekie’s 2.47 5v5 points per 60 minutes of play, as reported by Natural Stat Trick, put him in 31st place in the league, above players like Alex Ovechkin (2.31), Matty Beniers (2.21), Clayton Keller (2.46), Jack Eichel (2.45), and Leon Draisaitl (2.41).
The Bruins were very interested in him after seeing his remarkable performance in little playing time, and in July they signed him to a $4 million, two-year contract. Boston was hoping that the 6-foot-3 skater, with more weight on his shoulders, would have more to offer.
Against the Coyotes on Saturday afternoon, that chance finally arrived.
Pavel Zacha’s upper-body injury kept him out of action for the final two periods of play. Geekie filled in as Boston’s featured down the middle, recording 17:31 of ice time and serving as the primary assist on a goal by David Pastrnak.
Jim Montgomery described Geekie’s play as “he had a couple of great forechecks in the first period where he out-battled, won 50-50 battles.” For roughly ten minutes, we felt like we weren’t winning enough 50-50 battles, but then he had a fantastic reload, diving and poking the puck back away from them. You will get additional ice time for that second and third effort.
Zacha’s absence would be difficult for the Bruins, who already missed out on Charlie McAvoy and Derek Forbort when they played on Saturday.
However, in the event that Boston’s top-six pivot is sidelined for a considerable amount of time, Geekie presents himself as a compelling backup option.
Geekie remarked after the game, “Obviously, anytime a player his caliber goes down, it’s kind of a hit to us.” But our group is strong. Everyone will remain and continue to play for longer periods of time. I’m simply attempting to go out there and perform my job while blending in wherever I can. We succeeded in this league by devising strategies, which is what you have to do.
Originally thought to be an early contender to start training camp as Boston’s third-line center, Geekie was moved to the wing this autumn, primarily because rookie Matt Poitras outperformed everyone and earned a spot on the NHL roster.
In October and early November, Geekie made some impressive comebacks to play alongside Poitras on Boston’s de facto third line; however, through the first quarter of the 2023 season, Geekie has been largely scattered throughout the Bruins’ depth chart.
Prior to his in-game promotion on Saturday, Johnny Beecher and Geekie were skating on the fourth line.
Regarding his lack of consistency in the lineup, Geekie stated, “I’m just trying to fit in wherever.” “Obviously, we work well together and are aware that there are a few details we need to work out and other things of that nature.
But I have already stated this. Whether it’s like tonight when 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 happy to jump in wherever I can. Simply put, I’m glad to be here and appreciate that I get to play every day.
Despite having modest starting numbers, Geekie’s ability to carry the puck down low has frequently resulted in Grade-A opportunities for him and his teammates.
Geekie is sixth on the Bruins with 3.33 high-danger scoring opportunities produced in 60 minutes of 5v5 play. If he is positioned among top-six players, those excellent looks should translate into better outcomes.
In Geekie’s 7:42 of 5v5 ice time on Saturday, the Bruins outshot Arizona 6-2, had an 11-3 advantage in shot attempts, and had a 1-0 lead in goals scored. For a player who started the game in a checking role, it wasn’t a bad showing.
Naturally, Zacha might not be out of the woods for long; further information is anticipated on Monday.
The Bruins do, however, have a number of strong backup plans in place at the position, with Geekie leading the group, despite all the uncertainties surrounding Boston’s pivot pipeline heading into the 2023–24 campaign.
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