Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie was rewarded for his breakout season with a six-year, $33 million contract, the team announced Sunday night.

The 26-year-old had career highs of 33 goals and 57 points in 77 games while completing the two-year contract he signed when he joined the Bruins. Geekie has five full NHL seasons of experience and was eligible to become a restricted free agent once the league’s signing period opens on Tuesday.

Geekie signed with Boston in free agency two years ago and found a niche this season playing on a line with David Pastrnak and Elias Lindholm. Geekie has 50 goals and 95 points in 153 games with the Bruins after combining for 25 goals and 67 points in 142 games for Carolina and Seattle.

The Bruins also re-signed center Marat Khunsnutdinov and defenseman Michael Callahan earlier Sunday.

On Monday, the Florida Panthers completed another hat trick less than two weeks since repeating as Stanley Cup champions.

After Aaron Ekblad, Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett said they never wanted to leave South Florida, they got their wish. Days after locking up Bennett long term, the Panthers have agreed to re-sign Ekblad and Marchand, according to people familiar with the agreements.

Ekblad agreed to an eight-year deal with an average value of $6.1 million, while Marchand agreed to a six-year deal that Sportsnet reported would be worth around $5 million annually.

The people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had not announced the signings. The deals got done before the start of NHL free agency on Tuesday, and had either Ekblad or Marchand hit the open market they could have received offers for much more than the Panthers had the ability to pay, even with the salary cap going up a record amount.

They become the ninth and 10th players under contract with the Panthers through at least 2030 or beyond, joining Aleksander Barkov, Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart, Gustav Forsling, Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, Seth Jones and Bennett — the playoff MVP who signed an eight-year, $64 million deal last week.

That was the question about the Panthers heading into the summer: Could they keep some combination of Bennett, Ekblad and Marchand, all of whom were set for free agency?

The answer was yes — to all of them.

Ekblad was not the only defenseman to re-sign Monday.

The Columbus Blue Jackets agreed to terms with Ivan Provorov on a seven-year contract worth $59.5 million, according to a person with knowledge of the extension. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been finalized.

The New York Islanders signed Alexander Romanov to an eight-year contract that another person with knowledge of the extension said is worth $50 million. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because terms were not disclosed.

The Minnesota Wild acquired winger Vladimir Tarasenko from the Detroit Red Wings for future considerations.
Tarasenko, 33, has one year left on his contract at a salary cap hit of $4.75 million. He helped Florida win the Cup last year after being a key part of St. Louis’ championship run in 2019.

The Wild, Tarasenko’s sixth team in four seasons, are counting on a bounce-back performance out of him after he had just 11 goals and 22 assists with Detroit, his lowest point total for any season of his career in which he played at least half of the games.

“He’s a player in need of a fresh start,” general manager Bill Guerin said. “The contract and the money and everything just kind of fits. We’re a place that Vladdy can come and hopefully get back to the form he’s had his past years. I just think there’s a lot we can do to help him.”

The Utah Mammoth also traded young forward Matias Maccelli to Toronto for a conditional 2027 third-round pick. It turns into a second-rounder in 2029 if Maccelli has 51-plus points and the Maple Leafs make the playoffs next season.

“We appreciate everything that Matias has done for the organization,” Utah general manager Bill Armstrong said. “He is a great person, consummate professional, and we wish him all the best.”

In other moves around the NHL on Sunday, veteran Senators forward Claude Giroux is staying put in Ottawa for one more season, and Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro has a new four-year contract that keeps him in Columbus.

The Nashville Predators acquired defenseman Nicolas Hague in a three-player trade that sent center Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon to the Vegas Golden Knights, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed to the Associated Press.

In completing the trade, the Predators also agreed to sign Hague to a four-year $22 million, the person added and spoke on the condition of anonymity because the trade has not been announced. TSN first reported the trade taking place.

Meantime, forward Conor Sheary’s tenure in Tampa Bay is ending after the Lightning placed him on unconditional waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract.
The Senators announced re-signing the 37-year-old Giroux to a one-year, $2 million contract that features an additional $2.75 million in incentives.

Girioux has 18 seasons of NHL experience including his first 15 in Philadelphia, where he served as captain. Last season, he had 15 goals and 35 assists in 81 games to reach 50 points for the 13th time as he helped guide the Senators to their first playoff appearance in eight years.

“Claude brings veteran leadership and a competitive edge to our group and has been a consistent presence on and off the ice,” Senators general manager Steve Staios said.

The Blue Jackets locked up Fabbro with a four-year, $16.5 million contract. Columbus acquired the 27-year-old by claiming him in November after Nashville placed him on waivers.

Fabbro finished the season with a career-high 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 62 games with the Blue Jackets after getting no points in six games with Nashville.

“Dante was a great addition to our team last season and keeping him in Columbus was a priority,” general manager Don Waddell said.

The Lighting are parting ways with Sheary. The 10th-year player was limited to five games with the Lightning last season while spending most of his time in the minors because of the team’s salary cap constraints. The 33-year-old Sheary had one more year left on his three-year contract and was due to make $2 million next season.

Sheary won Stanley Cups during each of his first two NHL seasons with Pittsburgh in 2016 and ’17. He signed with Tampa Bay as a free agent two years ago, and finished with four goals and 15 points in 62 games with the Lightning.

He also played for Buffalo and Washington, and has 124 goals and 267 points in 593 games.

If unclaimed, Sheary will become a free agent.

Colorado Avalanche forward Jonathan Drouin’s agent, Allan Walsh, announced on X that his client will pursue free agency on Tuesday. The 30-year-old Drouin completed his one-year contract after two seasons in Colorado, during which he combined for 30 goals and 93 points in 122 games.

The Kraken placed forward Joe Veleno on unconditional waivers to buy out the final year of his contract. He was due to make $2.275 million.

Veleno has five seasons of NHL experience and was acquired by Seattle last week in a trade that sent forward Andre Burakovsky to Chicago. The 25-year-old Veleno spent his first four-plus NHL seasons in Detroit, and has 38 goals and 81 points in 306 games.

The Anaheim Ducks maintained their depth at goalie by signing Ville Husso to a two-year extension. The 30-year-old provides the Ducks insurance behind projected starter Lukas Dostal and Petr Mrazek, who was acquired in a trade that sent John Gibson to Detroit on Saturday.

Husso has a record of 71-46-19 and went 1-1-1 in four appearances with Anaheim last season after being acquired in a trade with Detroit in February. Husso spent the rest of his time with Anaheim in the minors.