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The Boston Bruins just endured one of the most challenging seasons in recent memory, finishing dead last in the Atlantic Division for the first time ever. But it was a strong campaign for forward Morgan Geekie, who finished second in team scoring with 33 goals and 57 points in 77 games.
And as newly extended general manager Don Sweeney said earlier this week, getting the pending restricted free agent locked up is a priority this summer.
“We’ve been in constant communication with Morgan’s camp since the time the season ended,” Sweeney told Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald on Wednesday. “I have no issues with the timeline of our discussions. We’d like to get it done. We know that it’s going to be somewhere between a one- and an eight-year deal. How’s that?”
Although Geekie is a prime offer sheet candidate, Sweeney made it clear he isn't worried about that this offseason. AFP Analytics projects that the 26-year-old will land a four-year contract with an AAV of around $6.59 million.
That sounds very reasonable for a player who drastically outperformed a couple of skaters who made a lot more money than him in 2024-25. Geekie doubled his goal output for the second consecutive year, going from nine goals with the Seattle Kraken in 2022-23, to 17 in 2023-24, to 33 this season.
Geekie also saw a career-high in ice time, managing just a shade under 17 minutes while spending a lot of time on the top line with superstar David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha.
The Strathclair, Manitoba native clearly earned trust from his interim head coach, but with Joe Sacco a question mark to remain as the bench boss next season, finding a permanent coach is another priority on the checklist for Sweeney and the front office.
Bruins still looking for next coach
Although Sweeney remained tight-lipped when speaking to Conroy earlier this week, he did say he expects to have a coach in place “well before” the 2025 NHL Draft in June.
“I think any coach wanting to coach the Boston Bruins should have the same outlook of working together,” Sweeney said. “All the coaches I’ve spoken to expressed sincere interest in coaching the Boston Bruins and the opportunity that’s there. They know what the organization represents and I think that’s come to the forefront.”
The longtime executive continued: “One of the things I talked about as a priority is a coach that knows how to communicate across a wide spectrum of players. That’s what’s required of head coaches now at this level. You’ve got young players, you’ve got established players, you’ve got players that are working their way up the lineup. So to have a line of communication between the coach and the GM, it’s always an important variable, so I’m appreciative that we have that.”
It's been reported that the Bruins have interviewed at least six coaches in the search, including former Boston player Marco Sturm, along with Jay Woodcroft, Mitch Love, as well as both Sacco and assistant Jay Leach.
It'll be interesting to see if the Bruins can lock up Geekie this summer, and who he will be playing under in 2025-26 and beyond.
