NHL Suspends Lightning's Conor Geekie After Fight

The NHL issued a suspension to the Tampa Bay Lightning forward following a recent fight.

Jul 7, 2022; Montreal, Quebec, CANADA; Conor Geekie shakes hands with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman after being selected as the number eleven overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images / Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Lightning are entering the 2024-2025 season with a group of changes to their roster. The team signed scoring winger Jake Guentzel to replace former captain Steven Stamkos and annointed long-time defenseman Victor Hedman as new team captain. They also traded away defender Mikhail Sergachev that included former first-round pick prospect Conor Geekie.

Geekie is vying for a spot in the Lightning lineup at just 20 years old. The team has given him ample opportunity during the preseason, and he's impressed. During a recent preseason contest against the Florida Panthers, he received an instigator penalty for forcing a Panthers' forward to fight in retaliation to an earlier body check he delivered. The result of the incident was the rookie was given nearly 20 penalty minutes and ejected from the game.

To further the matter, the league called a disciplinary hearing for the young forward. After reviewing the incident, the league announced they are suspending Geekie for one preseason game after violating NHL Rule 70.2. The suspension will keep Geekie out of the Lightning's final preseason game of the year.

Geekie was originally drafted by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022 NHL Draft. He's played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) the past few seasons, where he's been an offensive force with the Wenatchee Wild and Swift Current Broncos. Last season, he recorded 49 points in just 26 games with the Wild before being traded to the Broncos, where he kept on scoring with 50 more points in 29 games.

Now, the 6'4 center is trying to earn a full-time job in the NHL. The Coyotes made a difficult decision to part with one of their best prospects in the Sergachev trade, but this is a great opportunity for Geekie. He is likely to see NHL action at just 20-years-old. And while the team isn't thrilled to see any player suspended, they can at least anticipate having Geekie available when they open their season against the Carolina Hurricanes.

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