The Tampa Bay Lightning made a massive move earlier this summer when they traded star defenseman Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club. With this trade, the Lightning freed up cap space to make other summer moves but also lost one of their best defenders in the process.
One of the main pieces that the Lightning received in the Sergachev trade is the 2022 11th overall pick, Conor Geekie. The 20-year-old is viewed as possessing top-six potential and has instantly become the Lightning's new top prospect because of it.
In a recent mailbag for NHL.com, Dan Rosen named Geekie as one of a few dark-horse candidates who could sneak their way on an NHL opening night roster this season.
If Geekie has a strong training camp this year, he could make a case for himself to make the Lightning's roster. When looking at Tampa Bay's current forward group, there are clear spots to compete for, especially in their bottom six. Thus, the possibility of Geekie making the NHL team should not be ruled out.
Geekie has shown immense promise at the junior level over the last few seasons. After posting 35 goals and 77 points in 66 games in 2022-23 with the Winnipeg Ice, he took another significant step forward this past season. The 6-foot-4 forward recorded new WHL career highs with 43 goals, 56 assists, and 99 points in just 55 games split between the Wenatchee Wild and Swift Current Broncos. Clearly, he has plenty of offensive talent and could give the Lightning more secondary production because of it.
It will be fun to see if Geekie secures himself an NHL job at the start of the season. There's no question that he is a player to watch incredibly closely at training camp.
