Latest news with #MorganGeekie
New York Times
01-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Would Brock Boeser be worth the price for the Bruins? 8 alternatives in a closing market
The economics courses Don Sweeney took at Harvard imprinted the law of supply and demand on the future Boston Bruins general manager. Four decades later, Sweeney is feeling the principle firsthand. Because of a collision of circumstances, including the rising salary cap and a cluster of clubs in win-now mode, NHL free agency is dawning on a market that can generously be defined as limited. Mitch Marner is a Vegas Golden Knight. Sam Bennett, Aaron Ekblad and Brad Marchand are staying in South Florida. Advertisement Any GMs who were counting on addressing all their needs with their checkbooks could be left short-handed. You can see, then, why Sweeney moved quickly to settle his internal affairs ahead of the market opening. He made it a priority to re-up Morgan Geekie, who could have reached restricted free agency, well before arbitration and offer sheets could have been on the table. He also took care of Johnny Beecher, Mike Callahan, Michael DiPietro, Henri Jokiharju, Marat Khusnutdinov and Georgii Merkulov. Because at this rate, who knows what Brock Boeser will earn? The Bruins would like to sign the right wing. He would be a very good second-wave attacker behind David Pastrnak. Nikolaj Ehlers qualifies in this category too. The Bruins are not alone. With Marner done and dusted, Boeser and Ehlers are now the top two UFA prizes. It is an exclusive club. Contrast that with the number of parties interested in their services. The price will rise by the minute once noon arrives. The their demands grow, the more it would eat into the approximately $13 million of cap space the Bruins currently have. So if, for example, the Bruins win a Boeser pursuit, they might be able to afford one more depth forward with their remaining cash. It would be up to internal possibilities (Merkulov, Fabian Lysell, Fraser Minten, Matt Poitras) to compete for openings. It's a big ask considering where they are in their development and how sparing their NHL impacts have so far been. What, then, are the Bruins' other options? Here are eight possibilities from The Athletic's big board, version 5.0: A consistent and dependable left-shot center, at 33 he might not be the ideal fit for the Bruins' timeline, but he would give the Bruins options in the middle, including moving Pavel Zacha to the wing. Advertisement The experienced left-shot center picked a good time to score a career-high 25 goals and take advantage of a narrow market. His price could be elevated because of how he touches the game in multiple manners. A creative left wing with a bent toward offense, he has a history with Casey Mittelstadt with the Colorado Avalanche. He'd be optimized as a third-line wing against lesser competition. The sandpaper left-shot wing is known for making an impact in interior ice. He's a depth offensive contributor who can kill penalties. A steady and experienced right-shot wing, Appleton is not a go-to offensive player but is consistent. He's a bottom-six type who coaches like to have around. The defense-first right-shot defenseman would give the Bruins more options on the right side, where they are limited even after signing Jokiharju. At 6-foot-4, he has some of Brandon Carlo's length. The fourth-line left-shot forward is a pain in the neck who's regularly in opponents' faces. He's limited offensively but brings endless energy. The shoot-first right wing is a Braintree, Mass., native and former Northeastern Husky. He falls into the Oliver Wahlstrom bucket of being a scorer with shortcomings elsewhere. (Top photo of Andrew Mangiapane: Rich Gagnon / Getty Images)
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
NHL News: Bruins Announce 3 Notable Signings
The Boston Bruins are staying busy, as they have re-signed pending free agents Henri Jokiharju, Johnny Beecher, and Michael DiPietro. This comes after they re-signed forward Morgan Geekie to a six-year, $33 million contract on June 29. Jokiharju's new contract is a three-year, $9 million deal. Starting next season, the right-shot defenseman will carry a $3 million cap hit. He was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) on July 1, but will be staying in Boston. Beecher's new contract is a one-year, $900,000 deal. The 24-year-old was a pending restricted free agent (RFA) for the Original Six club. In 78 games last season, the 2019 first-round pick posted three goals, 11 points, 85 hits, and a minus-9 rating. The young forward will be looking to have a breakout season with Boston in 2025-26. Advertisement DiPietro was a pending Group 6 UFA and was expected to be a popular target if he hit the market. However, the Bruins made the smart move of re-signing him after his spectacular 2024-25 season with the Providence Bruins. In 40 games this past season with the AHL club, he had a 26-8-5 record, a .927 save percentage, and a 2.05 goals-against average. Bruins & Morgan Geekie Agree To Big Contract Extension Bruins & Morgan Geekie Agree To Big Contract Extension According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the Boston Bruins have signed forward Morgan Geekie to a six-year contract extension. Starting next season, Geekie will have a $5.5 million average annual value. Photo Credit: © Stan Szeto-Imagn Images
New York Times
30-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Bruins depth chart: What holes are left to fill in free agency and trades after recent re-signings?
The only reservation regarding Morgan Geekie's six-year, $33 million contract is how he builds upon his history. It is limited. You could make the case that his 33-goal breakthrough is the exception on his resume. The Boston Bruins' projection, though, is that Geekie's 2024-25 performance will be replicable in future years with the aid of one variable: a permanent partner in David Pastrnak. Advertisement In 926:46 of all-situations play with Geekie and Pastrnak on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick, the Boston Bruins outscored opponents 73-51. The right-shot wings were peanut butter and jelly. Pastrnak, in particular, found another dimension as a setup man, tying a career high with 63 assists this past season. At five-on-five, Geekie averaged 1.4 goals per 60 minutes. Only Tage Thompson (1.83) had a higher mark among NHLers with at least 1,000 minutes. Part of that was because of Geekie's career-best 20.16 percent shooting percentage. But Geekie's expected goals rate was 0.86 per 60, higher than Thompson's (0.8) and even better than Pastrnak's (0.81). 'Potential cause for concern if you're saying, 'He's never really done this before,'' said John Healy, chief operating officer of Clear Sight Analytics. 'But he's also never played with Pastrnak before. So I think you could make the argument with both. Is this a career year? Potentially. But it should be somewhat sustainable in this range if he continues to play with Pastrnak.' Geekie was Don Sweeney's primary piece of internal offseason business but not his only one. The general manager also re-signed Johnny Beecher (one year, $900,000 average annual value), Mike Callahan (one year, $775,000), Michael DiPietro (two years, $812,500), Henri Jokiharju (three years, $3 million) and Marat Khusnutdinov (two years, $925,000) ahead of Tuesday's opening of free agency. The Bruins have approximately $13.5 million available under the $95.5 million salary cap. It leaves the Bruins looking as such up front. So what does this mean for free agency, trades and promotions? After the 2025 NHL Draft, Sweeney noted he was still in the trade market. Given the number of opportunities up front, it's likely he would be interested in swapping for a forward. Bryan Rust, No. 9 on The Athletic's most recent trade board, would be a good second-line addition. Whether the Bruins would have enough to interest the rebuilding Pittsburgh Penguins remains to be seen. Rust is a prime target leaguewide because of his production and contract. Advertisement Working backward, Matt Poitras, Fabian Lysell and Fraser Minten could make the jump from the AHL. But Sweeney has repeatedly said he does not plan to hand out jobs without competition. It's likely, then, that Sweeney pursues multiple UFA targets. It remains to be seen if Mitch Marner reaches the market. Even so, the Bruins would likely not have enough free cash to pursue the right wing and fill out the rest of their roster. Brock Boeser and Nikolaj Ehlers occupy the second tier. But considering the shallowness of the UFA pool and the rising cap, they stand to cash in, perhaps beyond the Bruins' means. According to colleague Pierre LeBrun, the Bruins would be interested in bringing back Brad Marchand. But the former captain's preference would be to stay with the Florida Panthers. If he reaches the market, it would most likely require the Bruins to go significantly beyond whatever they were offering prior to trading Marchand. There would be no hometown discount. Credit to @utahmammoth for what appears to be an aggressive approach this offseason. If Brad Marchand hits the open market tomorrow, look for Utah, Boston and Toronto to among those with strong interest. — Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) June 30, 2025 From another tier, the Bruins could consider Jonathan Drouin. The 30-year-old scored 11 goals and 26 assists in 43 games for the Colorado Avalanche. The Avalanche outscored the opposition by a 12-9 count in the 169:01 of five-on-five time Drouin shared with Casey Mittelstadt. The Bruins addressed their biggest shortcoming on the right side by extending Jokiharju. The 26-year-old played mostly with Nikita Zadorov after arriving from the Buffalo Sabres. The Bruins outscored opponents by a 12-5 margin in the 273:39 of five-on-five time the two shared. New coach Marco Sturm now has options. Advertisement The defense, then, appears set. DiPietro was the AHL's outstanding goalie last year after posting a .927 save percentage in 40 appearances. The 25-year-old, acquired in the Jack Studnicka trade from the Vancouver Canucks, gives the Bruins inexpensive depth through 2027. DiPietro has three career NHL appearances, all with Vancouver. DiPietro would be a cheaper No. 2 alternative than Joonas Korpisalo ($3 million AAV through 2028). But even if the Bruins deal Korpisalo to free up cap space, they would need another experienced goalie. It would be risky to use DiPietro as Jeremy Swayman's backup because of his limited NHL timeline. There's only one conclusion headed into July 1: The Bruins need all the help they can get at forward. (Photo of Morgan Geekie and Brad Marchand: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
CNA
30-06-2025
- Sport
- CNA
Bruins F Morgan Geekie agrees to 6-year, $33M extension
Forward Morgan Geekie and the Boston Bruins have agreed to a six-year, $33 million contract extension through the 2030-31 season. Geekie, 26, scored 57 points (33 goals, 24 assists) in 77 games with the Bruins in 2024-25, setting career highs across the board. He was second on the team in points, goals, even-strength goals (29) and even-strength points (48). Carolina selected Geekie in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft, and he has appeared in 333 career games with the Hurricanes, Seattle Kraken and Bruins with 159 points (72 goals, 87 assists). On Monday, the Bruins also announced they had agreed to terms with defenseman Henri Jokiharju on a three-year, $9 million contract through the 2027-28 season, with forward John Beecher on a one-year, $900,000 contract and with goaltender Michael DiPietro on a two-year deal worth $812,500 per year. Jokiharju, 25, played in 60 games with Boston and the Buffalo Sabres last season, posting 10 points (three goals, seven assists). Beecher, the Bruins' first-round draft pick in 2019, appeared in 78 games during the 2024-25 season. The 24-year-old contributed 11 points (three goals, eight assists). DiPietro, 25, appeared in 40 games with Providence of the American Hockey League last season, posting a record of 26-8-5, with a 2.05 goals against average, .927 save percentage and four shutouts.
CBS News
30-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Morgan Geekie, Boston Bruins agree to 6-year contract extension
The Boston Bruins have agreed to a 6-year contract extension with forward Morgan Geekie, the team announced on Sunday. Bruins GM Don Sweeney announced the deal, which will run through the 2030-31 season and includes an annual salary cap hit of $5.5 million. Appearing in 77 games last season, Geekie notched 33 goals and 24 assist for the Bruins. It marked the first time Geekie surpassed 30 goals and 50 points in his NHL career. Geekie was second on the Bruins in goals, points, even strength goals, and even strength points. In 333 games with Boston, Seattle and Carolina, Geekie has a total of 72 goals and 87 assists after being drafted in the third round of the 2017 NHL Draft by the Hurricanes. Could Bruins reunite with Brad Marchand? One offseason question on the mind of many Bruins fans is could the team pursue a reunion with Brad Marchand? The Bruins shipped Marchand, who was in the final year of his contract and was unable to reach an extension with Boston, to the Florida Panthers at the trade deadline. Though Marchand ended up netting the Bruins a first round pick by hitting playing time requirements in Florida, he also went on to lift the Stanley Cup and was a critical piece to the Panthers' championship run. WBZ-TV's Dan Roche asked Sweeney in an interview for Sports Final if there is a chance Marchand could return to the Bruins now that he is a free agent. "There's always a chance. It's ultimately his decision in a lot of ways. I can't handicap it one way or another between now and next week. We just think the world of Brad as a player. Both he and his family are special people," Sweeney said.
