Why Bruins must not trade Morgan Geekie in 2025 offseason

The post Why Bruins must not trade Morgan Geekie in 2025 offseason appeared first on ClutchPoints.

The Boston Bruins have been one of the most consistent teams in the NHL, but that tendency escaped them during the 2024-25 season. Not only did the Bruins fail to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2015-16 season, they finished in last place in the Atlantic Division.

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The Bruins had many flaws throughout the season. Their inability to get off to a good start cost head coach Jim Montgomery his job. While there was a brief resurgence shortly after interim coach Joe Sacco took over, the team struggled to put the puck in the net.

Their problems were also prevalent on the defensive end. Despite the presence of defenseman Charlie McAvoy for the first three quarters of the season and star goalie Jeremy Swayman, the Bruins gave up big goals at crucial moments all season.

McAvoy  did not return after injuring his shoulder in the 4 Nations Face-Off and Hampus Lindholm should be healthy after missing nearly all of the season with a lower-body issue. Both players should be healthy in the upcoming season and Swayman is coming off a gold medal performance at the IIHF World Championships.

As a result it’s reasonable to expect the Bruins’ defense to improve next season.

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But what about the offense? The Bruins have one of the best offensive players in the league in right wing David Pastrnak. However, it seemed like he was fighting by himself on some nights, and the Bruins did not win many of those games.

However, Morgan Geekie found his stride after a slow start. He became a key contributor, one that Sacco could count on most nights. Geekie is a six-year NHL veteran, and the last two have been with the Bruins. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent this summer.

Bruins need to keep Geekie under nearly all circumstances

The Bruins need to address their offensive shortcomings in the offseason. They will almost certainly have to sign at least one key veteran free agent if they are going to take the pressure off their defense and return to the playoffs next season.

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As the Bruins finished the season, Pastrnak and Geekie played on the same line with Pavel Zacha, and the results looked promising. Geekie ended the season with 34 goals and 24 assists, and his game was improving steadily throughout the second half of the season.

Prior to joining the Bruins before the 2023-24 season, Geekie had not reached double-figures in goals in any of his first four seasons. He played two years with the Carolina Hurricanes and two more with the Seattle Kraken.

However, he started to find his game while wearing black and gold as he found the back of the net 17 times in his first season with the Bruins.

Montgomery did not like what he saw from Geekie at the start of last season and he did not dress in several games. However, once Montgomery was dismissed, Geekie started to contribute.

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He hit his stride down the final stretch of the regular season. He scored in 11 of the last 14 games, and he showed the ability to beat opposing goaltenders with his hard wrist shot and also demonstrated that he could crash the net and score.

Bruins need to keep Geekie in the fold

A 34-goal season must serve as a key indicator that Geekie is going to be one of the Bruins’ top scorers in years to come. Opposing teams could pursue Geekie in a trade or possibly take the bold step of giving an offer sheet to the restricted free agent.

Geekie plays with maximum effort and has become a vital offensive factor. The Bruins must sign him to a new deal and make sure he has a chance to demonstrate even more improvement from this point forward.