Can Andrew Peeke carry the success he had in the World Championship into next season with the Black and Gold?
One of many takeaways from the 2024-25 Boston Bruins season was the number of injuries that the defense suffered, which turned into season-ending injuries. A group that had a lot of questions entering the season seemed like it had more and more with each passing day.
Losing Hampus Lindholm in November to a knee injury that turned into a season-ender, before Charlie McAvoy was injured in the 4 Nations Face-Off, which also turned into a season-ender. Those subtractions severely hampered things on the back end, but one player who was someone the coaching staff could count on every single night was Andrew Peeke, who is next in our 2024-25 Boston Bruins grade.
Andrew Peeke’s Performance
Peeke became a top-four defenseman for interim coach Joe Sacco when all was said and done with the season. He played in 76 games, registering one goal and 16 assists along with a plus/minus of minus-10. He averaged 18:36 a night for the Black and Gold.
Injured in the playoffs last season after being acquired at the trade deadline from the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2024, Peeke was someone who was matched up with bottom-six lines, but injuries forced the 6-foot-4, 214-pound Florida native to face top-six lines with mixed results. Truth be told, if he remains in Boston for next season, when healthy on defense, Peeke is a solid bottom-pairing blueliner.
Andrew Peeke Moving Forward
As mentioned above, if he remains in Boston, Peeke will be a blueliner who will likely match up against bottom-six lines. However, he is entering the final year of his current contract in 2025-26 with an AAV of $2.75 million. General manager Don Sweeney has some big decisions to make this summer with the roster that will undergo some turnover. Trading some players is not out of the question.
Peeke, the 34th overall pick of the 2016 Entry Draft by Columbus, played a bigger role after the trade deadline. After losing Brandon Carlo to the Toronto Maple Leafs, there is a need for an upgrade on defense, and that can either be answered in free agency or through a trade. Peeke played well the last couple of weeks at the IIFH World Championship for Team USA, which captured the Gold Medal, and that type of tournament is something he can use as a springboard into next season.
