Bruins after dark

Morgan Geekie doesn’t sound like a guy ready to move on. And truthfully, the Bruins don’t want him going anywhere either.

After a breakout campaign that turned heads across the league, Geekie has become a player Boston can’t afford to lose. Bruins GM Don Sweeney confirmed on Wednesday that the team is already working to make sure that doesn’t happen.

We’re currently going through (contract negotiations) to extend him,

Sweeney said.

Our goal is to have a long-term deal.

Geekie earned it. He notched a career-best 33 goals and added 24 assists, most of that production coming at even strength—26 of those goals were five-on-five.

He’s set to hit restricted free agency this summer, but Boston is hoping to lock him up before July 1 rolls around.

It’s a dramatic shift from where things stood just a year ago. Back then, Geekie was in and out of the lineup.

He wasn’t a lock in the top six, and his name even popped up in trade rumors.

But everything changed once he found chemistry with David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm.

That trio clicked, and Geekie’s game took off. Suddenly, the guy once viewed as a fringe contributor was scoring with confidence and showing off a shot few realized he had.

I’m sure people thought it was a fluke, maybe,

Geekie said during breakup day.

I know my shooting percentage is higher than normal. I think that’s more of a high-quality shot thing.

I think up until this year, I was a little hesitant to use it, especially playing with guys that you’re normally used to deferring to,

he continued.

It’s tough not to pass to (Pastrnak) most times. But he’s made it super easy for me to shoot when it’s there. That confidence—just pulling the trigger—it’s been huge for me.

Boston is projected to have around $28 million in cap space, according to Puckpedia, which gives Sweeney some room to work.

Geekie won’t take up all of it, but he’s going to earn a raise from the $2 million he made last season.

He’s not the only one on the Bruins’ radar. Young defenseman Mason Lohrei is also a restricted free agent and viewed as part of the team’s long-term core.

Still, keeping Geekie might be the most important move Boston can make this offseason. After missing the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade, the Bruins are facing a reset—and they need scorers.

Geekie just proved he can be one of them.

If Boston wants to turn the page and start building again, re-signing Geekie might just be where the story begins.