As the season wraps up for the 2024-25 for the Boston Bruins, we are able to take a step back and look at the team as a whole. This year, three main players had surprising outcomes.
Morgan Geekie
Geekie has been with the Bruins since July of 2023, when he signed a two-year contract for $4 million. During the 2023-24 season, Morgan had only 17 goals and 39 points. While that is good, he blew it out of the water this season, with 33 goals and 57 points. His speed and closer attention to detail improved through the season and grabbed the fans' attention. So much so that Geekie was voted by fans for the "NESN 7th Player Award".
This award was specifically made so fans could go to the NESN website and vote for the player "Who exceeded the expectations of Bruins fans during the season." Although his contract with the team is almost up, fans are hoping he gets signed so we can continue to watch him grow!
Nikita Zadorov
Zadorov chose in the offseason of 24-25 to sign with the Bruins, instead of extending with his team, the Vancouver Canucks. "Money is great, but I want to win... The Bruins were the best option, both in terms of hockey, which is always a priority, and family."; Nikita stated in an interview on the change of team. David Pastrnak was also looking forward to the addition of a teammate; "He seems like a perfect fit for the Bruins." Due to the previous addition and loss of former winger, Milan Lucic, it was clear the Bruins were looking for an enforcer presence on the ice, and Nikita came just in time.
Through the 24-25 season, Nikita repeatedly used his strength and size to help other team members back into their place. Nikita led the team and the league in penalty minutes, accumulating 145 minutes in the box overall. Most of his time in the box was for fighting and protecting his black and gold team. While he did make a few goals this year, his main job is to defend, and thankfully for the team, he did.
Jeremy Swayman
Swayman was signed in 2020 and signed a $66 million contract this season to stay with the Bruins for 8 years. Last year, Swayman was ranked 8th overall for goalies in the NHL and this year, he's ranked 16th. His reaction time in general seemed to be slower. He appeared to be in his head more this season than he was last season, and perhaps him not attending training camp was part of the issue.
“I take accountability. I wanted to play better. I know that I can play better, and that’s something that I can’t wait to work on. And this team is going to be a lot different next year with what we learned from this year, and we’ve got a lot to look forward to.” Swayman commented, noting his need for growth.
Hopefully, this summer will help the players realize the bigger extent of their abilities, and the fans get to see them next season!