Bruins
“I want to be a Bruin. I’d love to be a Bruin as long as I can be.”
With six games to go until the NHL’s trade deadline, Bruins forward Morgan Geekie says he’s trying to tune out the whispers regarding the unsteady ground he finds himself on with this team.
“I want to be a Bruin. I’d love to be a Bruin as long as I can be,” Geekie said of trade rumors Saturday after Boston’s 3-2 overtime loss to the Ducks. “It’s not up to me, and I’m just going to go out there and play.
“I love every guy in here, everything about the organization, the culture. So however the chips may fall, it’s going to be what it is. But my focus is on Tuesday against the Leafs and we’ll just keep going from there.”
As the Bruins remain on the outside looking in at playoff positioning, a player like Geekie stands as an intriguing asset for a franchise staring ahead at a busy offseason.
If the Bruins are looking for potential trade chips, Geekie holds plenty of value as a middle-six scorer with some team control in place.
After tallying one goal over his first 15 games this year, Geekie found new life on a line next to David Pastrnak, scoring 17 goals over his last 35 games. Even if another team may not view him as a top-line forward, Geekie’s versatility and age (26) would be welcome on any team looking for a bit more scoring punch.
Geekie is also due for a raise this offseason, but he’s only a restricted free agent — giving either the Bruins or whatever team trades for him more control when it comes to hammering out a new deal.
Geekie’s inclusion as a trade chip doesn’t come as much of a surprise, with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan reporting earlier this month that Geekie, pending UFA Trent Frederic, and defenseman Brandon Carlo were all players on Boston’s roster that they have received calls on already.
While Geekie’s value has spiked this season while skating with Pastrnak, the case can also be made that Geekie is the type of asset worth retaining for Boston — given his age, contract status, and his standing as one of the few forwards on this roster capable of consistently finding the back of the net.
Even if the Bruins upgrade their forward corps in the coming years and Geekie is bumped off the top line, he could still hold value as a middle-six player capable of potting 15-20 goals with steady minutes.
Geekie — who scored the game-tying goal in the third period Saturday that secured a point in the standings — isn’t looking to uproot himself amid the most productive season of his career.
But with points at a premium and Boston’s playoff hopes dwindling, Geekie added that his uncertain future might hinge on what the Bruins do over the next few games.
“It’s tough to take positives out of it — especially where we are in the standings and stuff,” Geekie said. “So take it, learn from it. … But yeah, you’re right. I think we really kind of let those points slip away.
“It took a little bit to get going tonight. And I think it shows resiliency to battle back. But this time of year, I don’t think [one] point is going to do it.”
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