Atlantic Notes: Maple Leafs, Panthers, Bruins, Kesselring
The Toronto Maple Leafs could get a major boost to their goaltending on their upcoming road trip next week. According to David Alter of The Hockey News, Anthony Stolarz is nearing a return to the team and is expected to join them next week. It would be the first time the Maple Leafs have their normal goaltending duo available since November 11th.
Even before going down with an upper-body injury in mid-November, Stolarz didn’t look the same as he has in years past. He posted a 6-5-1 record in 13 games with a .884 SV% and 3.51 GAA. For comparison, with the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers, Stolarz managed a 37-15-5 record in 61 games with a .926 SV% and 2.10 GAA from 2023-24 to 2024-25.
Meanwhile, in a separate update from Alter, the Maple Leafs haven’t yet decided on the possibility of surgery for defenseman Chris Tanev. Sharing a statement from head coach Craig Berube, Alter quoted the coach saying, “Not yet. I’m sure that’ll be soon here about what he’s going to do.” The 16-year veteran has been ruled out with a groin injury since December 28th, with the rest of the 2025-26 season in doubt for him.
Additional notes from the Atlantic Division:
- The Florida Panthers are missing a pair of potential forward options for their game tonight against the Ottawa Senators. Before the game, team reporter Jameson Olive announced that Brad Marchand and Matthew Tkachuk would not participate in tonight’s contest. Tonight marks two games in a row missed by Marchand, who participated in the team’s practice this morning (X Link). Tkachuk has been rumored to return for the last little while now, recovering from an adductor surgery from the offseason.
- Despite putting up a 10-spot on the New York Rangers earlier today, the Boston Bruins had a few higher-level forwards leave relatively early into the contest. In separate announcements, the Bruins shared that Elias Lindholm had exited the contest with a lower-body injury, and Morgan Geekie departed to attend to a family matter. Despite leaving the game with an injury after 12:05 of ice time, Lindholm finished the contest with two assists.
- According to an article from Bill Hoppe of the Times Herald, defenseman Michael Kesselring should make a return to the Buffalo Sabres relatively soon. Regardless of his current health status, the 25-year-old blue liner can’t make his return to the Sabres lineup until next Wednesday against the Philadelphia Flyers due to the IR activation requirements. He went scoreless in 16 games before going down with a lower-body injury on January 6th.
Bruins Agree To Terms On Extension With Morgan Geekie
It appears that the Bruins are getting close to getting their top pending restricted free agent under contract. Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that Boston is finalizing a contract with forward Morgan Geekie. David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period reports (Twitter link) that it will be a six-year, $33MM deal, carrying a $5.5MM AAV.
The 26-year-old was eligible for salary arbitration this summer in his final season of RFA eligibility. That would have been a much different outcome than the last time he was a pending restricted free agent as he was two years ago. At that time, Seattle didn’t want to give Geekie the right to a hearing so they ultimately non-tendered him, sending him to the open market where he quickly signed a two-year, $4MM contract with the Bruins.
It’s fair to say that the contract worked out well for both sides. In 2023-24, Geekie set new career highs across the board, notching 17 goals and 22 assists in 76 games while getting to play regularly in the top six for the first time in his career, primarily down the middle. That alone was good value on the deal.
But this season, Geekie found a new gear entirely. Moved to the wing for the bulk of the season, he found some chemistry with David Pastrnak and as a result, he had 33 goals and 24 assists, finishing second to Pastrnak in both goals and points despite only having nine points with the man advantage. With numbers like that, he wound up being one of the better bargains in the NHL this season. His playing time also jumped to just under 17 minutes a night.
With Geekie only having one RFA year remaining, Boston is gaining five years of club control with the agreement. AFP Analytics projected a four-year pact worth just under $6.6MM per season but it will ultimately check in below that.
With the move, they now have around $16.6MM in cap space at their disposal, per PuckPedia, with John Beecher being the only other RFA to deal with after it was reported earlier today that Boston will non-tender winger Jakub Lauko on Monday with the deadline for qualifying offers being at 4 PM CT. With Beecher’s deal likely to be a short-term bridge pact, GM Don Sweeney will still have considerable cap space at his disposal to try to fill several roster spots in the hope of getting his team back to the playoffs next season after missing the postseason for the first time since 2015-16.
Photo courtesy of Eric Canha-Imagn Images.
Atlantic Notes: Giroux, Geekie, Tkachuk
Earlier this weekend, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in his latest 32 Thoughts column that the Senators and Claude Giroux were battling over the bonus structure of his next deal. However, Postmedia’s Bruce Garrioch adds that at this point, the base salary is still being worked on as well, with the belief that Giroux’s camp is looking for a salary around teammate David Perron’s $4MM; Ottawa is coming in below that. As long as the 37-year-old signs a one-year contract, Giroux is eligible for performance incentives, including games played, points, and team playoff success. While his days of being a top-line option are long gone, Giroux still projects as one of the better options available in free agency coming off a 50-point season.
Elsewhere in the Atlantic:
- Bruins forward Morgan Geekie told Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe that discussions on a new contract have been “pretty preliminary” so far. The 26-year-old was non-tendered the last time he was a pending restricted free agent, signing a two-year, $4MM deal with Boston that proved to be quite a bargain. Geekie had 39 points in 2023-24 and then followed that up with a 33-goal, 57-point effort this season. That could push his price tag past the $5MM mark on a multi-year deal this time around. He’s arbitration-eligible but with hearings generally running from July 20 to August 4, it’s possible that Boston’s plan is to simply let him file for arbitration late next week and then start to have more substantive discussions on a new agreement at that time.
- After playing through a torn adductor muscle for the entire postseason, Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk told reporters including Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald that he is 50-50 in terms of whether he’ll need surgery or not. He will take the next few weeks to let the injury heal on its own and then see if he’ll need to go under the knife. If surgery is needed, it could put Tkachuk’s availability for the start of next season in question. Despite the injury, he still managed to produce a point per game in Florida’s 23 playoff contests.
Atlantic Notes: Shanahan, Geekie, Heponiemi, Merrill
In an article from The Buffalo News, journalist Mike Harrington argues that the Buffalo Sabres should appoint Brendan Shanahan to a senior advisory role, even if only for one year. Recently, it was confirmed that the Toronto Maple Leafs would not renew Shanahan’s contract, and since then, he has only been publicly linked to the New York Islanders.
While the Islanders were allowed to interview Shanahan, there is no indication of any remaining interest, especially after they hired Mathieu Darche as General Manager and executive vice president of hockey operations yesterday. The Sabres would be the only remaining team seeking a high-level executive this summer. Harrington noted that Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Buffalo’s interest in adding a senior advisor to work alongside Kevyn Adams.
The hire would make a lot of sense. The Sabres appointed Adams as a rookie General Manager ahead of the 2020-21 NHL season, and the needle hasn’t moved for the organization one iota. Toronto didn’t make it to the Eastern Conference Final during Shanahan’s 11 years of stewardship, but that’s more than the Sabres can say, who have missed the postseason for 14 consecutive years.
Other notes from the Atlantic Division:
- In an interview with Steve Conroy of The Boston Herald, recently extended General Manager of the Boston Bruins, Don Sweeney, expressed confidence that the team would re-sign forward Morgan Geekie at some point this summer. Geekie will become a restricted free agent on July 1st, and is eligible for an offer sheet from the 31 other teams in the league. Still, Sweeney hopes a contract can be agreed upon sooner rather than later, saying, “We’ve been in constant communication with Morgan’s camp since the time the season ended.“
- There’s a small chance that a Florida Panthers prospect could return to the organization this summer. According to a team report, the NL’s EHC Biel-Bienne have released forward Aleksi Heponiemi from his contract. Heponiemi scored 13 goals and 35 points in 59 games for EHC Biel from 2023 to 2025. Still, since the Panthers own his contractual rights in the NHL, he won’t be able to join a different team this summer unless the Panthers choose to leave him unqualified.
- A Montreal Canadiens prospect is on the move at the junior level. Forward Ben Merrill shared on his Instagram that he’s committed to Boston University for the 2025-26 NCAA season. The former 2024 sixth-round selection scored 15 goals and 23 points in 50 games for the BCHL’s Penticton Vees this past year.
Boston Bruins Notes: Geekie, Sweeney, Zacha, Beecher
Despite finishing toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings for the first time since the 2006-07 season, the Boston Bruins had a few bright spots on the year. One of them, Morgan Geekie, is entering the 2025-26 season on a $2MM salary and had been an oft-mentioned trade candidate for the Bruins throughout the year.
That’s unlikely to happen. Earlier today, Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub passed along a blunt statement from General Manager Don Sweeney indicating Geekie would be on the roster next year.
To be fair, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Boston recoup a haul for Geekie should they trade him. 30-goal scorers don’t grow on trees in the NHL, and certainly not on $2MM salaries. However, as a counterpoint, the Bruins did finish as one of the worst offensive teams in the 2024-25 campaign, and trading Geekie away does nothing to improve that. He’ll look to equal, if not improve upon, this year’s results as a pending restricted free agent, and the Bruins can decide then if they’d like to re-sign Geekie to a longer-term deal.
Other notes from the Bruins organization:
- Much like Geekie, don’t expect Sweeney to depart the organization anytime soon, either. Speaking with reporters today, team President Cam Neely gave a glowing endorsement of Sweeney, saying, “Don has been a great GM in this league. Has everything gone right? No, it hasn’t. That’s just sports, but there’s been more good than bad. Don and his group, in my opinion, have earned the right to get us back to where we all want to be.” Sweeney has been at the helm of the Bruins’ front office for the last decade.
- Fortunately, Boston will enter the summer months with a clean bill of health. Sweeney shared that forward Pavel Zacha had a minor, unspecified surgery, and John Beecher may also need one (Tweet Link). Other than that, the Bruins don’t expect any major surgeries throughout the offseason.
Bruins Receiving Interest In Brandon Carlo, Morgan Geekie
The Bruins are receiving inquiries about the availability of defenseman Brandon Carlo and pending restricted free agent forward Morgan Geekie, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan said last weekend (via Scott McLaughlin of WEEI). Kaplan also relayed they continue to field calls on pending UFA Trent Frederic, who’s been garnering interest throughout much of the season. It’s far less likely that Boston will part ways with captain Brad Marchand even if they haven’t worked out an extension by the March 7 trade deadline, Kaplan added.
There’s little surprise that Boston is seeking to part ways with some of their middle-of-the-lineup players amid what’s likely to be a retooling effort over the next few seasons. They just locked in starter Jeremy Swayman to an eight-year, $66MM deal at the beginning of the season and still have six years remaining on superstar David Pastrňák‘s contract, as well as five years remaining on top defenseman Charlie McAvoy‘s deal. The team’s books aren’t conducive to a complete rebuild despite them tracking to miss the playoffs for the first time in nine years.
After losing Jake DeBrusk in free agency last summer and signing Elias Lindholm to a max-term deal to augment their center depth, things haven’t gone to plan for the Bruins offensively. They’re clicking at 2.75 goals per game, 25th in the league and their worst since their 2.55 mark in the 2014-15 season. Marchand and Pastrňák have continued to produce at elite levels, but the latter is still only on pace for 40 goals after notching 61 and 47 in the prior two years. Lindholm has flamed out, limited to 10-19–29 through 57 games – unjustifiable production for his $7.75MM cap hit, no matter how well he grades out defensively (where he’s had average possession impacts this season).
Including Lindholm, five Bruins forwards have produced in the 15-30 point range at this point in the season. Among the pack are Frederic and Geekie, both in their primes and don’t have bonafide top-six ceilings on a championship-contending team. It makes sense they’d at least be talked about by Bruins management as they begin the shift to prioritizing younger, higher-upside pieces in their lineup.
However, Carlo’s name is more surprising to see on the list of potentially available players. In past years, his $4.1MM cap hit would have been considered below market value, especially as he’s locked in through the 2026-27 campaign. A tough year from the 28-year-old likely diminishes his trade value slightly, but with a lengthy track record of being a stalwart top-four defender, it’s likely teams will see a down season as a blip, not a trend, from a right-shot defender below 30 years old.
He will immediately rank among the top righties available on deadline day if Boston shifts from just taking calls to shopping him. That said, his all-around numbers this season aren’t inspiring. His 18:40 ATOI is his lowest since arriving in Boston nine years ago, and while he’s not relied upon for offense, his nine points in 56 games is the lowest pace we’ve seen from him in four years. Defensive metrics don’t paint a rosy picture, either. Carlo’s penalty kill time has been eaten into by Nikita Zadorov, and at even strength, his 45.6 CF% and -9.0 expected rating rank worst among the team’s full-time blue-liners. Extremely difficult defensive minutes don’t do him any good there, but with the latter number tracking as a career-worst, it’s a cause for concern.
East Notes: Bruins, Hillman, Jenkins, Howe
The Boston Bruins are unsurprisingly being more aggressive with some extension candidates this summer with the ongoing contract negotiations between the organization and goaltender Jeremy Swayman likely dragging into the regular season. Ty Anderson of 98.5 The Sports Hub reported earlier this morning that Boston had already opened extension negotiations with forwards Brad Marchand, Morgan Geekie, and Trent Frederic.
There has seemingly been no movement with Swayman throughout the summer on a long-term contract leading the Bruins’ general manager Don Sweeney and the rest of the front office to take a more pragmatic approach for next summer. There was no word in the original report if any of the three players would be interested in continuing negotiations throughout the 2024-25 regular season. Still, Boston appears to be getting a head start on their asking price.
Marchand’s next contract will be one of the more interesting situations to see play out as he has arguably been playing on one of the biggest bargain contracts in the league over the last seven years. The Bruins signed Marchand to an eight-year, $49MM extension in 2016 and he’s scored 209 goals and 555 points in 495 regular season games over the life of that deal. Boston’s captain will be heading into his age 37 season on his next contract and it remains to be seen if Marchand will look for more salary with his prime years behind him.
Other East notes:
- The New York Rangers added a bit of depth to their training camp roster earlier today by recalling Blake Hillman and Blade Jenkins from their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack (X Link). Both players are on AHL contracts for the 2024-25 season with the former being the only one with previous experience at the NHL level. Hillman has spent several years bouncing around the AHL but suited up in four games for the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2017-18 NHL while scoring one goal overall.
- The WHL’s Regina Pats will be waiting with bated breath to determine the status of their captain, Tanner Howe. Howe, who was recently selected with the 46th overall pick of the 2024 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins, was pulled from today’s game against the Moose Jaw Warriors by the team’s medical staff with an undisclosed injury. Howe’s already skated in two games in the young WHL season scoring one goal overall after participating in the Penguins’ rookie camp over the summer.
Bruins Notes: DeBrusk, Lindholm, Geekie
The Bruins’ relationship with top-six winger Jake DeBrusk has been roller coaster-like, seeing their 2015 14th-overall pick submit and rescind a trade request over his seven-season tenure with the team. Now slated to be a UFA for the first time this summer, there hasn’t been any progress between the two parties on an extension, DeBrusk said Wednesday (via Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald).
The likelihood of DeBrusk extending likely has little bearing on Boston’s deadline plans – unless they feel they can package him for an upgrade. Sitting at second in the Atlantic Division and hungry to avenge last season’s massive upset at the hands of the Panthers in the first round, the Bruins can ill-afford to solely detract from their overachieving forward group.
Moving him at the deadline would also be selling low on the three-time 25-goal scorer. He’s been underwhelming this year with 13 goals, 14 assists and 27 points in 58 games, under a 40-point pace for only the second time in his career.
The 27-year-old does cost $4MM against the cap, though, and if he informs the Bruins he’s willing to discuss extensions with other teams, he could help Boston clear any financial hurdle in trade talks. DeBrusk has been a full-time Bruin ever since his NHL debut in 2017, recording 132 goals, 121 assists and 253 points in 443 games throughout his NHL career.
- Flipping from pending UFA forward to long-term defenseman, Hampus Lindholm has been ruled out of the Bruins’ two remaining games this week, head coach Jim Montgomery said (via Scott McLaughlin of WEEI 93.7 FM). Lindholm has missed four games with an undisclosed injury that sidelined him on a week-to-week basis after a Feb. 19 contest against the Stars, and he’s yet to practice with the team following the injury. He skated on his own before this morning’s practice and will be evaluated closer to the weekend, per Montgomery, so more clarity on his return to the lineup could come ahead of two crucial contests next week against the Maple Leafs, their likely first-round playoff opponent.
- Center Morgan Geekie was a full participant in practice today after taking a puck to his right cheek against the Kraken on Monday, albeit in a full face shield, The Athletic’s Fluto Shinzawa reports. The former Seattle and Carolina pivot has been a revelation in the third-line center spot, hitting the 10-goal plateau for the first time and on pace for career highs with 27 points in 54 games. Averaging 15:26 per game, his $2MM cap hit through 2025 looks like a bargain-bin pickup for GM Don Sweeney. He’s set to reprise his third-line role with wingers Trent Frederic and Danton Heinen against the Golden Knights tomorrow.
Evening Notes: Jokiharju, Moverare, Geekie
Missing the team’s last two games due to an illness, the Buffalo Sabres announced that defenseman Henri Jokiharju would be making his return to the team tonight in their matchup against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Aside from missing the last two contests, Jokiharju has gotten off to a relatively solid start for the Sabres in terms of scoring, chipping in two goals and five assists in his first 15 games, compared to 13 points in 60 games a season ago. Defensively, Jokiharju is staying true to a similar output over the course of his career to start the season, evidenced by his 89.5% oiSV% when he is on the ice.
Still, early into the season, Buffalo’s defense has already improved dramatically from last season, with similar goaltending behind them. Last year, the team was on the hook for 3.62 GA/G (26th in the NHL) and has seen that number fall to 3.24 GA/G (17th in the NHL) with a little under 80% of the season remaining.
Other notes:
- 11/19: For the second time in four days, the Los Angeles Kings have announced they have loaned defenseman Jacob Moverare to their AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign. Primarily a paper transaction in order to keep roster and cap flexibility on their off days, Moverare has yet to suit up in a game for Los Angeles this season.
- 11/20: Moverare was recalled to the NHL lineup on Monday.
- Signing a two-year, $4MM contract with the Boston Bruins over the offseason, forward Morgan Geekie has missed the team’s last three games with an undisclosed injury. On a positive note as to the status of Geekie, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reported today that Geekie was practicing with the rest of the team today in a red non-contact jersey.
Bruins’ Morgan Geekie Out Week-To-Week
11/09/23: The Bruins have announced that Geekie has been placed on injured reserve. Geekie’s place on the Bruins’ roster has been filled by Lauko, who was activated off of injured reserve in a corresponding move.
11/08/23: Boston Bruins center Morgan Geekie is listed as week-to-week with an upper-body injury, Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald reports. In addition, defenseman Derek Forbort is questionable to return for Thursday’s game against the New York Islanders after missing the last three games with an undisclosed injury.
Geekie, 25, is in his first season with the Bruins after signing a two-year, $4MM deal in free agency. The former Carolina Hurricane and Seattle Kraken had recorded a goal and two assists through 12 games this season, averaging 14:14 per game.
It’s unclear when Geekie sustained the injury, as he didn’t appear to miss a shift during the Bruins’ last game, a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Monday. It’s a tough break for the Manitoba-born forward, who was seeing increased ice time compared to years past and playing a solid possession game.
In terms of replacement options, winger Jakub Lauko returned to practice today as he works his way back from a skate cut sustained last month, but he remains on injured reserve. If he’s not ready to go for tomorrow’s game against the Islanders, veteran Patrick Brown will draw into the lineup and make his sixth appearance of the season. He’s still looking for his first point as a Bruin after joining the team in free agency and has a -1 rating while averaging just 8:54 per game thus far in 2023-24.
A potential return for Forbort would certainly be a boon to the Bruins’ penalty kill, although they’ve done well in his absence, killing off 11 out of 13 penalties in the last three contests. If he’s able to play, Forbort would likely replace recent AHL call-up Parker Wotherspoon on the team’s third pairing alongside Kevin Shattenkirk. Wotherspoon, 26, has logged one assist in three outings.