True, but the next part of the Geekie conversation is how many goals could or would the Bruins forward score if he was playing with an elite center the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon or Sidney Crosby in the Olympics, when most passes would be on his tape.
Geekie has one of the hardest shots in the NHL. In fact, he has the hardest shot in the League this season, one on Nov. 11 that registered at 103.3 miles per hour, according to NHL EDGE.
"This is a guy who was healthy scratched a couple times at the start of last season," Benjamin said. "Think through that. He lost his confidence. He couldn't really figure it out. He hadn't really proven it in the NHL. He had that one 17-goal season when he came to the Bruins. But he really has figured a lot of things out. Yes, if you get him on a line with some top talent, with some guys that can put it right on his stick, I don't know, I have to think he can do some damage."
Geekie is doing enough damage this season to keep the Bruins in the race in the Eastern Conference, so much so that Benjamin, a guest with podcast co-hosts Dan Rosen and Shawn P. Roarke, said she did not see it coming.
Boston is 0-3-1 in its past four games, but 20-17-1 under first-year coach Marco Sturm this season. The Bruins have 41 points, one out of a wild-card position with 44 games remaining.
"I would have said this is not a team that is set up for success at the start of the season," Benjamin said. "They have proven me wrong. They have attacked this in a way that I think has been impressive. They have really taken Marco Sturm's teaching to heart. They're not the sexiest team, but they have generally done what they've needed to do."
They're not alone.
This week's holiday break edition of the "NHL @TheRink" podcast focuses on several teams who have played their way back into playoff contention approaching the midway point of the season.
Rosen and Roarke talk extensively about the Florida Panthers and Edmonton Oilers, who are both 8-2-1 in their past 11 games after middling starts.
They hit on the Buffalo Sabres, who have won seven consecutive games, and the Detroit Red Wings, the first-place team in the Atlantic Division thanks to an 8-2-0 stretch.
They also talk about the rise of the Nashville Predators, who have won 10 of their past 14 games thanks to a booming offense led by Ryan O'Reilly and Steven Stamkos, who has scored the game-winning goal in three consecutive games.
O'Reilly has 19 points in the past 14 games; Stamkos has scored 11 goals in that stretch.
The "NHL @TheRink" podcast is free and listeners can subscribe on all podcast platforms. It is also available on NHL.com/multimedia/podcasts and the NHL app.
