Ex-Bruin Gave Andrew Peeke ‘Unbelievable’ Review Of Boston

BOSTON — The Bruins made a relatively surprising acquisition prior to the trade deadline Friday, picking up defenseman Andrew Peeke in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Peeke’s name never really came up in trade rumors as it relates to the Bruins, so it would be fair for the 25-year-old to feel surprised he ended up in Boston. He was lucky enough to already have familiarity with the city, though.

Sean Kuraly, who spent the first five seasons of his career with the Bruins, made sure of that during his two-plus seasons playing with Peeke.

“I’ve heard about Boston for the past three years from Sean, so he told me it’s an unbelievable spot,” Peeke said Saturday. “The organization speaks for itself, given the amount of playoff runs this place has gone through over the past few years. He said the guys in the room are unbelievable, so that’s what I’m most excited about.”

It’s been a rough season for Peeke, so a change of scenery was needed. He was essentially demoted to being Columbus’ seventh defenseman, appearing in just 23 games this season. In arriving to Boston, he hopes to become a regular in the Bruins’ lineup.

“I think with how the year has gone, the biggest thing for me is I just wanted to play hockey,” Peeke said. “The past two years I played pretty much every game. You don’t get comfortable, but you get in a routine of doing that, so obviously with how the year went, I just wanted to play hockey. Finding out the news yesterday that I was coming to a place like Boston, being able to compete for the playoffs, that’s all you can ask for as a player and something I haven’t had yet so I’m super thrilled about that.”

The Bruins will hope Peeke can hit the ground running (or is it hit the ice skating?), especially given Derek Forbort’s placement on long-term injured reserve. Who knows, maybe Kuraly’s review will help him.