Simon “Snake” Boisvert targets Conor Geekie for the Habs

Dose
Crédit: Youtube

Simon Boisvert has come up with yet another target to get Canadiens fans talking. In the most recent episode of the Mathias and the Snake podcast , “The Snake” threw out an intriguing name: Conor Geekie, a young Tampa Bay Lightning player he believes deserves a serious look from Kent Hughes.

Simon Boisvert isn’t pulling this out of thin air. Geekie, a big 6’4″ center drafted 11th overall by the Coyotes in 2022, was traded to Tampa Bay in the trade that sent Mikhail Sergachev to Utah. Since then, he’s struggled to carve out a real place in the lineup of a veteran-filled team like the Lightning.

“The Snake” sees a familiar scenario: a young offensive talent stuck in an organization where playing time is scarce. Exactly the kind of gamble the Canadiens like to take since the arrival of Kent Hughes.

“The guy’s got offensive talent, but right now, he’s stuck in Tampa. It’s not because he’s not playing well… but rather than giving him eight, nine minutes a game, we’re sending him to the AHL.” – Simon “Snake” Boisvert

The picture is clear: Conor Geekie has the talent, but he doesn’t have the space. In a market like Tampa, where the Lightning are still aiming for top honours, individual development often takes second place to immediate performance. The result: a 20-year-old first-round pick who sees his progress slow down simply for lack of opportunity.

In Montreal, it would be a different story. The Canadiens have proven, with Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, that they know how to spot youngsters in need of a fresh start. The organization isn’t afraid to bank on potential, especially when it comes to players with interesting size and an offensive center profile.

And Geekie ticks a number of boxes. Tall, intelligent and capable of scoring, he’s exactly the type of player the Habs are looking to add to their core. Simon Boisvert would even trade a late first-round pick or a second-round pick and a prospect to acquire him. And when talking about prospects, Boisvert mentioned Owen Beck.

This kind of addition would fit in perfectly with Kent Hughes’ strategy of betting on youth, but on youngsters who are already a little more advanced. Players who still have everything to prove, but who already possess a solid base to integrate quickly into Martin St-Louis’ structure.

Tampa won’t be in a hurry to sell him, but the situation is worth keeping an eye on. With a tightly managed payroll, a limited pool of prospects and an aging core, the Bolts will sooner or later have to make some tough choices.

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