BOSTON — Morgan Geekie sees everything.
The stories praising his versatility? He’s seen those.
And the posts about how he’s not a top-six player? He’s seen those, too.
The Boston Bruins forward isn’t sure how he got into reading opinions on the internet. But he’s “for sure” using it as motivation going into the 2024-25 season.
“Everybody’s a fan, and everyone has their own opinion. I don’t know what got me into reading that stuff, but yeah, I think it’s fun to see what other people think,” Geekie said last week at TD Garden. “And I know what I can do. Obviously it gets a little much at times, but I think my self-belief is something that I take a lot of pride in, and being able to produce and contribute in different ways definitely helps me get through that.”
Geekie averaged just 10:27 of ice time during the 2022-23 season with the Seattle Kraken. But he was given an opportunity to showcase his versatility after he signed with the Bruins. He became a Swiss Army knife of sorts and logged 15:25 of ice time in 76 games. Wherever Geekie was used he made an impact. On the power play, he potted four goals and added eight assists in 142:10 of ice time.
Marchand-Coyle-Geekie were a line during Boston’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Marchand left early with an illness, but Geekie and Coyle logged 9:49 of 5-on-5 ice time together. During that time the Bruins held a 15-7 advantage in shot attempts and had a 9-4 edge in scoring chances, per Natural Stat Trick.
The 26-year-old had 17 goals and 22 assists — both career highs — and saw time all throughout the lineup last season. Geekie spent most of the time playing on the third line with Trent Frederic, but played on the top six during Boston’s playoff series against the Florida Panthers.
While he’s likely to start the year on the right wing with Charlie Coyle and Brad Marchand, he’s willing to play anywhere.
“Just gonna plug and play wherever it may be,” Geekie said.
Geekie’s physical game as well as his strength along the boards add to his versatility as a forward. He’s ready to take another step and elevate his game even further whether it’s playing on a line with Marchand and Coyle or with Frederic.
“I think I can just add a little bit more offensively. I think I’ve taken steps every year to improve my numbers and produce. But a little bit defensively will help too,” Geekie said. “And obviously, with Marsh and Coyle, you get a little harder matchups and things like that. So being able to play on both sides of the puck, I think I have a good shot being able to get that off a little bit more and getting in good spots to create and put those opportunities in back of the net. So I think for me, it’s just a little bit everything, and just keep going as a player.”
And if he reads what Marchand said about him, he’ll find out his teammates agree with him.
“I love playing with Geeks. He’s so great in so many areas: The way he can hold on to pucks and make plays, shoots it, great in the corners,” Marchand said. “So I think he really complements our line well. We haven’t had a ton of reps together so we’ll continue to work on it. I’ve always really liked his game. Playing with him last year a bit — really enjoyed that. I’m sure we’ll see another big step from him this year, and one that we’re gonna need.”
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