Bruins News & Rumors: Krejci, Forbort, Geekie, New Numbers

If Krejci does in fact call it quits, he had an excellent career as Bruin. He was an effective top-six center throughout his entire tenure with the club, and it even carried over to the 2022-23 season. In 70 games played, the 37-year-old posted 16 goals to go along with 56 points. The Bruins would have loved to have that production in their lineup in 2023-24, but Krejci has done more than enough for the organization.

In 16 NHL seasons as a Bruin, Krejci had 231 goals, 555 assists, and 786 points. With that, he won the NHL Plus-Minus Award (2009 & 2014), led the NHL in playoff points twice (2011 & 2013), and of course, played a big role in the Bruins’ 2011 Stanley Cup win.

Forbort Standing Out as Possible Trade Candidate

After finalizing contracts with Jeremy Swayman and Trent Frederic, the Bruins now currently have $429,166 of cap space while sporting a 22-man roster. When noting that the Bruins are hoping to add another notable center before the start of the season, it certainly seems possible that they could look to move Derek Forbort and his $3 million cap hit.

Forbort has been an effective shutdown defenseman and key penalty killer for the Bruins, but their salary cap trouble may make him expendable. The Bruins also have cheaper left-shot defensemen like Jakub Zboril and Mason Lohrei who could be serviceable options for the bottom pairing.

Forbort appeared in 54 games this past season for the Bruins, where he had five goals, 12 points, and a plus-12 rating. Due to the Bruins’ cap trouble, a trade centering around Forbort would likely not net them the greatest of returns. We will need to wait and see if the Bruins move him to gain some much-needed cap space or keep him around due to his steady defensive play.

Geekie Could Be Bruins’ Top Breakout Candidate

With Bergeron officially announcing his retirement and Krejci expected to do the same, the Bruins have some serious questions down the middle. At the time of this writing, Pavel Zacha and Charlie Coyle are expected to be their top two centers, and that is not ideal for a team with playoff expectations However, their weakened center depth also offers the possibility of other players taking that next step in their development. One specific player who we should all pay very close attention to because of this is Geekie.

Geekie is expected to slot in as the club’s third-line center to start the year, but if he impresses at camp, it could lead to him seeing a bigger role. When noting that he produced well in limited minutes with the Seattle Kraken last year (nine goals, 28 points, and a plus-14 rating in 69 games), this change of scenery could do him wonders.

Geekie is in a great position to succeed with the Bruins, and it will be interesting to see if he can do just that. From a personal standpoint, I am excited to see what the 6-foot-3 forward will provide for the Bruins this upcoming campaign.

Bruins Announce New Numbers

The Bruins also announced new numbers for several players for the 2023-24 season. These players include offseason additions and prospects. They are as followed:

These are all players who will be looking to impress at camp and earn themselves a spot on the club’s NHL roster. The biggest names to watch from this group are Lohrei, Lysell, and Boqvist.