We are smack dab in the middle of the 4 Nation Face-Off with each team having one game under their belts. The second set of games are scheduled for Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal with the highlight matchup being Canada against Team USA at 8 p.m.
By now you know that Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney is carrying the same role with Canada and his attention has been there. However, you can bet that he’s had conversations and thoughts about what might happen by the March 7 trade deadline with his Bruins team.
Are they going to be sellers, buyers, or standing-pat? That’s the question and after the 4 Nationa Face-Off, they have 3 days when NHL games resume to choose their path, which might depend on how the team plays on their return. There are plenty of rumors swirling about some of the Black and Gold’s players and they have some tough decisions to make.
Are they going to trade captain Brad Marchand? What about Trent Frederic and Justin Brazeau? Does Brandon Carlo and Charlie Coyle generate enough interest to get moved by 3 p.m. on March 7? Then there’s the question, do the Bruins trade Morgan Geekie or do they see him as part of their plans beyond the 2024-25 season?
Bruins need to decide on Morgan Geekie’s future in Boston
Right now, aside from Marchand, Geekie might be Boston’s biggest trade chip to use at the deadline. After the Seattle Kraken let him walk in free agency, he’s come into his own after the Bruins signed him to a two-year deal. Now, he is going to smash his career-high of goals with 17 last season. He’s already got 17 this year and is producing at a high rate since the Bruins underwent a coaching change, firing Jim Montgomery and naming Joe Sacco the interim coach.
Over the last month, the Bruins have struggled to stay within an Eastern Conference playoff spot and enter the 4 Nations Face-Off one point out of the second wild-card spot, thanks to Geekie and David Pastrnak. Both players have put the team on their back offensively and carried them to this point.
Do the Bruins see a future with Geekie in Boston or is he pricing himself out, similar to Danton Heinen last season, and they are going to lose him in free agency? If they feel that way, then trading him at the deadline for assets instead of losing him for nothing as they did with Jake DeBrusk last summer.
Geekie would be a nice addition to a contender looking for a rental and depth scoring. He could slot in anywhere in the lineup and be an addition to a second power play unit.
The problem with the Bruins looking ahead with Geekie is that he’s going to get a pretty nice bump in pay than the $2 million he made the last two years after the production he has been giving the Black and Gold. Yes, the Bruins will have some cap space available, but how much Geekie will look for and what Boston might want to give him could lead to a gap between the sides. That’s where Geekie coming into play at the deadline is very interesting.