The 2023 offseason proved to be one of the most significant offseasons in Boston Bruins’ franchise history. This coincided with their centennial season and also came off the heels of a record-setting season for the Bruins who would put up the most wins and the most points in the regular season by any team in NHL history the previous season. The Bruins spent much of the offseason working on battling against the salary cap, finding bargain players to fill roles left by star players who either retired or departed to other teams when free agency opened; the cost of business of making a Stanley Cup run in an aforementioned-historic season. This led to the Bruins finding some very good production out of inexpensive contracts, including their third line which currently consists of Trent Frederic, Morgan Geekie and James van Riemsdyk.
When free agency kicked off on July 1, the Bruins made a strategic move by signing Geekie to a two-year, $4 million contract. Fast forward to the present, and Geekie has not only met expectations but he’s exceeded them in spades and has proved to be worth every penny of his $2 million annual deal. With a career-high 15 goals and 32 points in just 59 games, Geekie has become an indispensable asset to the Bruins, consistently making an impact on the team’s success.
Geekie’s recent performance on the ice has been nothing short of superb, especially when factoring in the value he’s bringing for the cost of his contract. In his last 11 games, the 25-year-old forward has scored six goals and eight points. This impressive stretch has also seen Geekie score five goals in his last five games, including a hat trick against the Vegas Golden Knights on Feb. 29, 2024.
Another new addition to the Bruins this offseason was the 34-year-old veteran in van Riemsdyk who also signed on July 1 for a one-year, $1 million contract. The 6-foot-3, 208-pound forward has scored 11 goals and 38 points in 61 games for the Bruins and has proven to be one of the best value signings in the NHL. Not only has van Riemsdyk proven to be a solid contributor on the boxscores for the Bruins, but he’s also proven to be a very valuable leader in the locker room. This may not sound like much, but with the Bruins losing both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci in the offseason to retirement, getting more experienced voices in the locker room helped.
The final member of this third line includes Frederic, who would sign a two-year, $4.6 million extension following an arbitration filing during the offseason. Frederic has matched his career-high in goals from a season ago with 17 goals in 65 games this season. He’s also recorded career-highs in assists (19) and points (36) and he’s done so in 14 fewer games than he did a season prior. The 2016 first-round pick has overcome a lot of adversity after dealing with some heavy criticism early in his career due to his draft status. In the end, Frederic has proven to be a very responsible two-way player who can score and create energy for his team on every shift.
The team has experimented with various line combinations and typically tinkers with personnel mid-game, but this trio just makes sense together.
Bruins Can’t Afford to Lose Frederic or Geekie
It shouldn’t be understated that the Bruins’ third line is very large, with each player standing at 6 foot 3 and weighing over 200 pounds. The third line also generates opportunities and converts on chances for the Bruins at a very reasonable $5.3 million combined cap hit, which probably hasn’t been discussed enough. Though general manager Don Sweeney probably isn’t on many people’s radar for general manager of the year, his ability to put together a team that has been in or around first place in the NHL standings all season long despite the situation he was up against with the salary cap is nothing short of phenomenal.
It’s unclear what the future holds for van Riemsdyk, but Frederic and Geekie should both find themselves wearing Bruins’ uniforms for the foreseeable future given how important they are to the team. They’ve proven to fit right into what head coach Jim Montgomery wants from his roster and it would be shocking to see the team let their current contracts expire without extensions in place to keep them around for the long-term.
All three of these players can play up and down the lineup in a pinch, but playing them alongside each other just makes sense given how well they work together. The Trade Deadline could change things, but only time will tell.
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