Morgan Geekie ready for more opportunity – and tattoos – with the Bruins

Morgan Geekie is in need of another tattoo. 

The 24-year-old got his first when he was barely old enough to drive as a teenager growing up in Manitoba. He was hooked. 

Geekie added to his ink during his time in Carolina when he was with the Hurricanes and the AHL Charlotte Checkers, completing the sleeve on his left arm, he added a maritime tattoo when he got to Seattle. The Kraken's Alison Lukan had a great series, "Deep Ink," where she went in depth with a number of Seattle skaters on their tattoos, including Geekie.

He's got a queue to add to right now, in need of a tattoo to commemorate the birth of his daughter Gabby right before the 2023 playoffs. Some more ink when he arrives in Boston will add to the list. 

Geekie, who signed a two-year contract worth $2 million annually on July 1, doesn't have anything on tap yet for what he might want when he settles in the city. He's coming in with an open mind.

"My favorite thing to do when I get to a new city is see who their tattoo artists are," Geekie said over Zoom last week. "So that'll be something that I take a gander at, but I haven't thought really of anything. I still have to get one for my daughter. So we're a little behind right now. But yeah, I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure they've got a lot of nice artists and something that I can kind of pick and prod at."

Adding to his collection isn't the only thing Geekie is looking forward to as a member of the Bruins, though. 

The versatile forward had a career-high 28 points (9g, 19a) in 69 games as a fourth-liner with the Kraken in 2022-23, averaging 10:27 of ice time. He added a pair of goals and assists in 13 playoff games. 

His regular season was more productive with less ice time than several of Boston's bottom-six regulars, including Nick Foligno (10-16--26; 12:22), Tomas Nosek (7-11--18; 12:33), Garnet Hathaway (12-9--22; 11:48) and Craig Smith (9-7--16; 11:00). 

The Bruins and Geekie are both confident that increased opportunity will lead to increased returns on the ice.

"I think coming in, you know, I'd love to kind of just do whatever helps the team," Geekie said. "I think I can contribute with a little more minutes than I had previously, but however I get those minutes, I'm not picky. So, I'm just looking to come in and help the team, and obviously, the staff here and the organization will make those calls, but I'm just going to come in, work hard and do what I can."

The former third-rounder began 62.39 percent of his 5-on-5 shits in the attacking zone in his two years with the Kraken. However, those reps belong to David Pastrnak and the rest of Boston's top six. Geekie will be asked to continue to up his defensive responsibility. 

"Again, it’s a projection… Just anointing somebody with extra minutes, how that’s going to pan out doesn’t always just translate," Don Sweeney said on July 1. "Players need to… You won’t be starting 62 percent of the time in the offensive zone with us. So, that will be a change and start from his own zone and being able to defend within our system. Skating has always been the knock on Morgan, but we feel that the size, the hockey sense and his puck skill abilities he’ll be able to integrate into our group well, whether that is in the middle or on the wing and complement our group. Can he play higher than that? Again, that’s something to be determined and we might get a surprise."

As Sweeney alluded to, Geekie's skating has been a work in progress throughout his career. The young forward is hopeful another summer of development will help his skating ability continue to rise to the level of his IQ on the ice in addition to an underrated playmaking ability. 

"Probably you know, the big thing for me has always been my skating. I think I've learned to play a fast game, even though I may not be the best skater, and I think I think the game really well," Geekie said. "So I think for me, just with a little bit more of an expanded role and a few more minutes, I think I can get into more of a rhythm, kind of grow into myself and just kind of be the player that I know I can be and help the team in the best way that I can. So skating is probably the big one, and I think my game has taken a lot of steps. So, we'll start with that and kind of add things as we go."

The 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward has proven effective as both a center, where he has been over 50 percent on face-offs during his career, and on the wing, where his size allows him to be a valuable forechecker. 

Among 382 forwards to play at least 500 minutes at 5-on-5 in the NHL last season, Geekie ranked 10th with 1.74 assists per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick. That's higher than the likes of elite playmakers such as Leon Draisaitl (1.61), Sidney Crosby and Blake Wheeler (1.6) and Artemi Panarin (1.52). David Krejci was seventh at 1.79.

Geekie also had 2.47 points per 60 minutes, which sat 31st among the group and ahead of a similar crop of established producers. The mark would have ranked fourth among Bruins forwards with at least 500 minutes of 5-on-5 higher than, Jake DeBrusk (2.38), Patrice Bergeron (2.11) and Brad Marchand (2.08), among others.

Now, that's not to say he will instantly turn into a star with more ice time in Boston, but he could see an additional step in terms of production. 

Seattle's fourth line took on a valuable role offensively, as opposed to a defensive, checking identity. Linemate Daniel Sprong put up 21 goals, and the two of them ranked in the bottom three of ice time among Kraken regulars in the forward group. Geekie's 721:24 was the second-lowest among the main 13. He took advantage of the limited role with the Kraken having a plus-12 differential with Geekie on at 5-on-5. Shots favored them by 52.64 with him on at 5-on-5 as well. 

His 55:09 on the penalty kill was easily the most he had played in his career, topping his 7:00 in 71 games in 2021-22. Meanwhile, his 5:16 on the power play was easily the lowest in his time as an NHL regular and a stark drop from his 98:46 in 2021-22. 

In Boston, however, he may just earn himself a role on the third line or elsewhere in the middle six, perhaps as a third-line center, depending on where Trent Frederic and Charlie Coyle slot in after Patrice Bergeron and Krejci have made their decisions.  

Geekie feels he's ready for the expanded role in all situations, especially defensively, that the Bruins will ask of him.

"Honestly, I knew we had a good team over in Seattle and a very unorthodox fourth line, per se," Geekie said. "I think for me, I grew a lot as a player, played a little bit in different situations throughout the year, but I had a good playoff and anytime you can add some playoff experience, it helps. So it was good. I gained a lot of confidence and I'm excited about where my game is. I'm excited about where I can get to and where I can grow. So I'm looking forward to next season."