Boston Bruins
“I felt like I hit all-time low fairly early, no less than mentally, and and acquired caught there.”
A candid Morgan Geekie didn’t mince phrases on Thursday when requested concerning the sizable expectations positioned on his shoulders this season.
“I’m certain no one that’s interviewing me now thought I used to be going to attain 33 objectives final 12 months,” the 27-year-old winger mentioned.
Geekie’s sentiments had been about as correct because the sharp wrist shot that he used to shred opposing defenses final season.
As soon as considered as extra of a bottom-six, ancillary participant throughout previous stops in Carolina and Seattle, Geekie has emerged right into a professional top-six weapon since arriving in Boston.
One of many few shiny spots amid an in any other case depressing 2024-25 season, Geekie shattered his earlier career-high in tallies (17) — lighting the lamp 33 instances whereas skating alongside David Pastrnak on Boston’s prime line.
However on a 2025-26 Bruins squad coming into camp with few conduits of constant offense past Pastrnak, Geekie’s breakthrough season might need to be the norm shifting ahead if this group needs to usually land punches within the offensive zone.
“I’ve acquired nothing to lose,” Geekie mentioned of surpassing 30 objectives as soon as once more. “Like, if I don’t, I don’t. I feel we’ve acquired loads of steps to take as a group earlier than I sort of deal with that. It is a group that I’m tremendous proud of. I really like the additions we made and I feel lots of people outdoors this room don’t imagine that we will get the job finished.
“However I do know inside these 4 partitions — [Don Sweeney] touched on it yesterday, simply how nicely we will come collectively as a bunch and begin to construct off it. I feel in the present day was an amazing constructing block for us. We’re simply going to maintain going off that.”
Geekie will not be fretting over any further strain of being Boston’s second go-to scorer past Pastrnak.
However his physique of labor speaks for itself.
Despite the fact that Geekie’s 22.0 taking pictures share final season alerts some anticipated regression, his stats had been additionally bolstered by a restricted reliance on special-teams play for manufacturing.
In complete, 26 of Geekie’s 33 objectives got here at 5-on-5 play — which tied him with Pastrnak, Kyle Connor, and Cole Caufield for the second-most 5-on-5 objectives final season. The one participant with extra 5-on-5 objectives final season was Tage Thompson (33).
An anticipated uptick in power-play manufacturing from Boston’s Twenty ninth-ranked man benefit final 12 months might offset a few of Geekie’s projected scoring dip throughout even-strength motion.
Much more reps with Pastrnak and heart Elias Lindholm might additionally profit all events.
After the commerce deadline on March 7, the Geekie-Lindholm-Pastrnak line logged 78 minutes of 5-on-5 ice time, per Natural Stat Trick. And over that stretch, the Bruins had a 47-29 edge in pictures, a 53-29 benefit in scoring probabilities, and outscored opponents, 16-2.
“We get alongside off the ice, too, so I feel that contributes to so much. Now we have an amazing group in right here,” Geekie mentioned of his reps with Lindholm. “We had loads of good new additions, and I feel for me and Lindy, I don’t know . . . we simply sort of fed off one another towards the tip of the 12 months, and we’re simply trying to construct off that come Sport 1.”
However past his robust supporting forged, Geekie can also be feels extra comfy coming into his third season in Boston.
After all, inking a six-year, $33 million contract extension will do this.
However beyond the security offered by his new deal, Geekie feels he’s in a greater spot mentally after trudging by a brutal begin to the 2024-25 season.
At one level, it appeared as if Geekie was going to be on the skin trying in at Boston’s beginning lineup final fall — with Jim Montgomery benching him for 3 video games amid a sustained scoring stoop.
After scoring only one objective and three factors over his first 18 video games, Geekie rebounded below interim head coach Joe Sacco — scoring 32 objectives and 53 factors over his closing 59 video games of the season.
Geekie carrying that very same fee of manufacturing into 2025-26 could be a welcome sight for Marco Sturm and the Bruins.
However for a re-focused Geekie, he’s attempting to not get caught up within the massive image as he enters his first season as a top-line expertise.
“I sort of acquired to some extent final 12 months the place I didn’t actually have something to lose at that time,” Geekie mentioned of his scoring surge. “I felt like I hit all-time low fairly early, no less than mentally, and and acquired caught there. I had loads of guys assist me out of there on this room. And I thank all people on this group for sort of choosing me up.
“You sort of begin to play free,” Geekie added. “It’s in all probability a unique state of affairs than I’m in now. However the identical sort of mentality, you simply sort of acquired to have a look at it someday at a time and simply attempt to get higher every day.”
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