Predicting Morgan Geekie's next contract after Ryan Donato's extension

Morgan Geekie surprised everyone in 2024-25 when he had a massive career year in the middle of the worst Boston Bruins season in decades. It couldn't have come at a better time for Geekie, as he was a pending restricted free agent and was looking to cash in on his last deal before becoming unrestricted.

Going into the year, Geekie likely expected to sign a bridge deal to get him to that UFA status. However, after his emergence as a favorite linemate of David Pastrnak's, he offers much more value to the Bruins' organization and could be a candidate to get the maximum eight-year deal.

Personally, signing Geekie to a maximum term deal is slightly risky, as this was just a one-year sample size. He nearly doubled his career-high in goals, and also recorded 18 more points than he did in 2023-24. While 33 goals is no small feat, it's hard to look past how many of those were because of Pastrnak.

The question the Bruins' front office has to ask before giving Geekie a massive deal is whether this production can continue in a scenario where the Bruins are contenders. 33 goals is an impressive number, but he did that in a season where Boston was one of the worst teams in the league. Geekie had the good fortune of being on a line with Pastrnak, but that was only because of the fire sale at the trade deadline and the lack of depth in the lineup.

If the Bruins are going to attempt to become contenders quickly, they must sign some forwards who can fill out the top six. In that scenario, Geekie likely returns to the bottom-six and doesn't come anywhere close to the 33 goals he scored in 2024-25.

Comparing Ryan Donato to Morgan Geekie

Ryan Donato's recent contract extension with the Chicago Blackhawks is a good comparable for Don Sweeney to bring to the table with Geekie. Donato was able to score 31 goals on a line with Connor Bedard for most of this past season, but Kyle Davidson didn't break the bank to re-sign him.

Donato agreed to sign a four-year deal at $4 million annually, which is a good deal for a player who won't likely stay on Bedard's wing as the Blackhawks enter contention. Chicago has some promising prospects in the pipeline who will eventually play alongside Bedard, and both the Blackhawks and Bedard's camp recognize that Donato owes much of his production from this past season to playing with Chicago's star.

The Bruins' front office has to have the same approach with Geekie. While his contract predictions got out of hand as he lit it up for the Bruins over the second half of the season, it's now time to have a level head and come to an agreement where both parties prosper.

Geekie could demand some extra money as he is younger than Donato, which makes a six-year deal at $5 million annually a solid deal to compensate the winger for this past year's contributions. If Boston does end up overpaying, it'll be something they regret in the later years of the deal.