Andrew Peeke had played all but one game for the Bruins before the Olympic break, so it stood to reason that everyone’s antennae went up when the pending UFA’s first two healthy scratches occurred coming out of the Olympic break and with the trade deadline fast approaching on Friday.
But with the B’s facing the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday at the Garden, coach Marco Sturm re-inserted Peeke back into the lineup and scratched Henri Jokiharju.
Peeke getting back into the lineup does not definitively mean he’s out of the woods with regard to the trade deadline. But after the morning skate, he was looking forward to the chance to put on the uniform again.
“Obviously the break was good to recover and everything. I wish I was playing the last two games obviously but here we are now and I’ll get the opportunity. Now I just have to make the most of it,” said Peeke, who last played since February 4.
If the B’s do make Peeke available, and GM Don Sweeney didn’t rule anything out when he spoke to reporters on Monday, his market was seemingly set with a trade that the Blackhawks and Oilers consummated on Monday night. The Blackhawks sent rugged, stay-at-home defenseman Connor Murphy, a pending UFA, to Edmonton for a second round pick, but not till 2028. Peeke is 27 and Murphy is 32, but that shouldn’t make much of a difference if the players are viewed in strictly rental terms.
If that’s all the B’s could get for Peeke – and provided any pick coming back wouldn’t be part of a subsequent deal to bring in a top-4 right-shot D with term — then it would make more sense to hang on to Peeke for the stretch run.
But that’s not any of Peeke’s concern, at least not outwardly. He’s handling the chatter like a pro.
“I’m not the first guy to be in this position. “You can control what you can and that’s working hard every day and focusing on the next day. Whatever happens, happens,” said Peeke, who was obtained by the B’s at the deadline in 2024 from Columbus. “There can be whatever out there and I’ve been through it before. For me, it’s just overcoming that little bit of adversity and bouncing back strong and believing in yourself. That’s what I’m excited to be able to do now tonight.”
Peeke started out the season playing in the top four as a partner to Hampus Lindholm and played well. As the season wore, he had struggled a bit more and dropped down to the third pair.
“I actually can’t wait to see him because it’s going to be the first time in a long time that he had to sit out,” said Sturm. “I just want to see a response. It’s not like he played terrible. We just needed a little bit more and now it’s his chance again. I’m not too worried about him. He’’s been solid in the first half of the year. The second half he dropped a little bit. But I want him to go back to the first half and be effective and play hard every time he’s on the ice.”…
The area that had the most room for improvement – the taking of penalties – had improved through the first two games. The B’s had taken only three. But, going into the Pittsburgh game, Sturm had also liked what he had seen from the penalty kill after the staff put in a few tweaks during the Olympic break.
“We needed more reps and we we got more reps in Philly and survived. You could see the structure we put in place. It’s coming along pretty good. But those tests are really good for us,” said Sturm. “(The Pens) have a really good power play and those are the tests you want to survive. You want to grow as a unit. But overall the guys have done a good job. They’re dialed in pretty good. They were very good in practice (on Monday) and hopefully they’ll continue that.”
The B’s are now ranked 27th in the league (76.7%).
“It’s still always a work in progress,” said Mark Kastelic. “I don’t think it’s ever going to be perfect but I’m getting more and more comfortable each day we practice it and getting in game situations, learning from what happened throughout the game. Still, there’s always room to improve.”…
Another curious scratch has been Alex Steeves, who was set to sit for his third straight game. Steeves was signed to a two-year contract extension worth $1.625 million per season.
“I talked to him today and it’s not really about him,” said Sturm. “He works extremely hard. He’s just a very good individual, good player, good pro and he will get his chance. He just has to wait for his opportunity right now. That forward group, they’re doing a pretty job. But sooner or later, he will get his opportunity.”
