Is it too much to say that Conor Geekie is the most important player on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster this season? Yes, of course it is. Geekie could score 50 goals this year, but if Andrei Vasilevskiy misses 30 games the Lightning are going to struggle. The same with Nikita Kucherov, Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, so on and so forth.
So important, no, but intriguing, sure. We did this a couple of years ago with Brandon Hagel and some of the key points still stand. Geekie, like Hagel before him, could be the key to the Lightning having more than two lines with the capability to score. Of all of the forwards on the roster, Geekie and Gage Goncalves probably have the most room to improve their point totals. If they do, the Lightning become serious Stanley Cup contenders.
It was an up-and-down-and-back-up season for Geekie. He surprised a lot of people by making the team out of training camp. During their current run, the Lightning haven’t exactly been a haven for younger players, so to see the 21-year-old with a whopping two games of AHL experience make the roster on Day One was a bit of a shock.
He held his own for the early going, and showcased some of the skill and physicality that intrigued the Lightning. His effectiveness waned as the season toiled on, and a nine-game pointless streak ended with him being assigned to Syracuse to begin the month of February. The demotion turned into rejuvenation. Geekie was nothing short of beastly with the Crunch as he racked up 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) in 24 games.
A more aggressive and confident Geekie returned to the Lightning at the end of the season and he potted two goals in three games. Much like the rest of the team, his offense deserted him in the opening round loss to the Panthers where he recorded a solitary assist in the five games while averaging 12:22 of ice time.
The off-season was spent refining his game and working with skills coaches to improve his skating technique. He is not an oafish skater by any means, but lacks some efficiency. He has looked much better in training camp and the pre-season, but there is still room to grow.
The skills are definitely there, and now that he has a season under his belt, his confidence should be there as well. Last season it seemed he deferred a little too much at the NHL level, opting to pass or wait for his teammates to help him. Yet, when he went down to Syracuse, the ability to create his own offense, something that was a calling card in his junior hockey days, returned.
That’s the Conor Geekie that the Lightning can use this year. He might not get a crack at the top-six this season, and the early line rushes have him on the fourth line with Pontus Holmberg and Curtis Douglas, but that might be a blessing in disguise for the Bolts. Having a player with his offensive talent, who is also willing to impose his will physically can create some match-up problems for opponents.
Tampa Bay doesn’t need him to score 30 goals this year. He might be capable of that in the future, but for the 2025-26 season they need him to play consistent hockey on a nightly basis. If he can get to the 15-goal/35-point level as a bottom-six forward then things should be tracking pretty well for the Bolts.
With Goncalves taking a spot on the second line this season, the top six are fairly settled. It’s the next two lines where the Lightning still have plenty of questions, especially with Nick Paul on the sidelines. On paper, it should be better than last season, but banners aren’t hung based on assumptions and hope. They’re hung when the players live up to or out perform their expectations.
For the Lightning, we know that Nikita Kucherov is going to put up 100+ points and Brayden Point is going to be around 40 goals. We don’t know if Conor Geekie is going to be able to take that next step. If he is able to, then Tampa Bay should not only have a successful 2025-26 season, but he could cement himself as part of the next core of Lightning impact players.
