The 25-year-old center hopes to earn an important role in the Bruins' middle six coming out of training camp.
BRIGHTON, Mass. – Morgan Geekie took a big step forward with the Seattle Kraken last season.
He scored nine goals and 28 points, setting new career-highs despite appearing in just 69 games. He had more takeaways (29) than his first year in Seattle (25) while significantly cutting down on giveaways, turning over 14 pucks in 2022-23 compared to 26 the year prior.
Despite Geekie’s growth on both ends of the ice, Seattle chose not to retain his services and he hit the open market. He found that news out like everybody else.
“I found out on Twitter,” Geekie told reporters on Friday, admitting that he was a little surprised to be hitting free agency. “It is what it is. At the end of the day, I enjoyed my time in Seattle regardless of how it ends.”
His time in Seattle began at the franchise’s inception, when he was selected in the 2021 Expansion Draft from the Carolina Hurricanes. Given a larger role with the Kraken, Geekie started to find his game.
That defensive progression while also becoming more careful with the puck will be key if the 25-year-old wants to lock down the 3C spot out of training camp.
“I like to think that I can fill a couple roles, and I think that I’m learning to play both ends of the rink,” Geekie said. “To be a defensive center, that’s something I’m for sure open to doing.”
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery doesn’t think Geekie will have a hard time transitioning to Boston’s defensive system given how similar it is to Seattle’s.
“Seattle did a zone type defense, so he’s used to it,” Montgomery told reporters on Friday. “I don’t know the intricacies or inner details of how they do their D-zone, but I don’t see it being a big adjustment.”
There is a question mark at the face-off dot for Geekie. Historically, he’s done well there, posting a 52.5 face-off win percentage in both 2020-21 and 2021-22. However, last year, he dipped below the 50% mark for the first time in his NHL career (49.2%).
“Face-offs are something I take pride in,” Geekie said. “Last year was a little bit of a down year for me percentage-wise, but I feel solid going into every draw. Every time you play Boston, they’re good in the circle, and it’s something that they take pride in.”
After two years playing for the NHL’s newest franchise, Geekie expressed excitement getting to suit up for an Original Six team.
“There’s just an aura about this organization,” he said. “It’s something you almost dream of as a kid. There’s that group of teams that you want to be a part of and they’re tough to play against. I’m super excited to be a part of it here, and just fill in the gaps and try to do what I can for this organization.”