Boston Bruin Morgan Geekie. Geekie is tied for the most goals scored in the NHL alongside Colorado Avalanche Nathan Mackinnon, with 20. Photo courtesy of @morgangeekie on Instagram

If you had asked any Boston Bruins fans prior to the start of this season who they expected the team’s lead goal scorer to be, some names you may have heard were David Pastrnak, Charlie McAvoy or even Pavel Zacha. One thing I can guarantee you though is that the name Morgan Geekie probably didn’t come up.  

Tied with Colorado Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, Geekie leads not only the Bruins, but the entire NHL in goals scored so far this season (20).  

Geekie joined the Bruins during the 2023-2024 season where he racked up 17 goals and 39 points. Last season, Geekie nearly doubled his goals scored with 33 goals and 57 points, a significant improvement from his first year in Boston.  

The Bruins have seen significant changes to their lineup in recent seasons with the departure of captain Brad Marchand and former head coach Jim Montgomery. When Montgomery was fired, Joe Sacco took over for the remainder of the season until former Bruin Marco Sturm was officially hired in June.  

Despite the varying head coaches, Geekie’s years in Boston have arguably been the best of his career. Geekie started his career with the Carolina Hurricanes for two years, where he scored only six goals across both seasons. He went on to play for the Seattle Kraken, netting 26 goals across his two years with the team.  

Although last season with the Bruins started out rough for Geekie with the forward being a healthy scratch, he then went on to score 33 goals. While some write this off as a lucky season for the 27-year-old, this year has already shown that he is a key offensive player for the Bruins. 

After his impressive season, the Bruins locked in Geekie with a six-year, $33 million contract extension. Geekie’s impressive offensive skills make it easier for his teammates to get the puck to him, and as a result, he has had luck finding the back of the net. 

“I just try to find the right spots,” he said in a post game interview with NESN. “Both goals tonight don’t happen without (Elias Lindholm) in the first one and (Casey Mittelstadt) on the second. Just try to be in the right spots for those guys to see me, and hopefully, good things will happen. Lately, they’ve been finding me.” 

In Boston’s game against the Detroit Red Wings, Geekie put up two goals, securing a shootout win. This was also the game where he reached eight goals in his last six games, marking a strong start to his season.  

Boston Bruin Morgan Geekie training on the ice. The 27-year-old is having a breakout year on his third year with the Bruins, leading the team in goals scored. Photo courtesy of @morgangeekie on Instagram

“He’s a very dangerous guy,” Sturm said, as seen on NESN’s postgame coverage. “Has a great release, is dangerous on the power play. There is a reason why he scores a lot of goals, that’s for sure.” 

Geekie has been playing on his team’s first line alongside Pastrnak and Zacha for most of the season, but with Pastrnak’s recent injury, Sturm has switched up the pairings, pushing Geekie down to the third line. He has proven that he is a player that can truly play on any line as the puck seems to find its way onto his stick.  

Looking at the Bruins (15-12-0) as a whole, they currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Division right behind the Tampa Bay Lightning (16-7-2) and are 13th in league standings. The Bruins have had their ups and downs this season, but they are starting to settle into a strong offensive and defensive team.  

With Geekie’s elite goal scoring this season, the Bruins now have another offensive threat along with Pastrnak that their opponents need to look out for. If the Bruins keep this momentum, they will definitely be playoff contenders, but I don’t need to remind Bruins’ fans that they have not had the best luck in previous seasons. 

The 2022-2023 season is arguably the year the Bruins should have won the Stanley Cup. With a 62-12-5 record, the most wins in a single NHL season and the most points ever in a regular season (135): The Bruins were eliminated in the first round during a Game 7 loss to the Florida Panthers.  

There’s still plenty of games to be played but if the Bruins can stay out of their own zone and get the puck to not only leading goal scorers but also newcomers to create scoring opportunities, they will quickly become the team to beat come the playoffs.