By: Jason Cooke | Follow me on Twitter / X @cookejournalism
One of Don Sweeney’s trade acquisitions is set to come to life Thursday night. Andrew Peeke, dealt from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Jakub Zboril and a 2027 third-round pick, will sport the spoked-B for the first time against the Montreal Canadiens. The 25-year-old blueliner isn’t wasting any time getting his feet wet in the historic rivalry.
The 6’3″, 214-pound rugged defenseman has only played 23 games with the Blue Jackets this season, posting 1-7-8 on a struggling Columbus team. However, Peeke has spent his first four National Hockey League seasons in Columbus and has had to use this past week to acclimate himself to Boston’s play style. Lucky for him, there haven’t been many differences.
Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery hopes Peeke can introduce some brass to Boston’s back end, utilizing his size to play a hard, physical game. A stay-at-home defenseman, Peeke isn’t expected to light an offensive spark in his role. Known for blocking shots and clearing out the front of the net, the Bruins hope Peeke will alleviate some of Boston’s recent defensive zone breakdowns.
With Matt Grzelyck away from the team due to illness, Peeke will likely slot into Boston’s bottom defensive pairing with Parker Wotherspoon. Not only will the B’s rely on Peeke to gut out a win in response to Monday’s 5-1 defeat to the St. Louis Blues, but his performance will also indicate where he’ll fall on Montgomery’s depth chart the rest of the way. Peeke, Wotherspoon, and Kevin Shattenkirk– a healthy scratch Thursday-– are all competing for a sixth defenseman spot on the depth charts. Peeke will make his first bid to claim that spot in Montreal.
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