Faced with the exodus of many high-end veterans, Bruins’ GM Don Sweeney and his pro scouting department have done an excellent job of plugging holes with some bargain basement shopping.

Morgan Geekie, who was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Seattle Kraken in the league-wide economic crunch of last summer, was inked to two-year deal worth $2 million annually. Danton Heinen was brought in on a tryout and eventually signed to a league minimum deal of $775,000. Both have been positive acquisitions in the roles they’ve been asked to play.

Jesper Boqvist, on the other hand, looked like a swing and miss at first. Boqvist was also a player not qualified by his former team, the New Jersey Devils, and the B’s scooped him up on another minimum contract. He did not have a great training camp and was sent down to Providence. He came up for a game against Anaheim on October 26 and didn’t distinguish himself, nor did he in another call-up for a game on Long Island on December 15.

But ever since he got back in the lineup on January 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Garden, he’s looked a lot more like the guy that the Devils used a second round pick (36th overall) on in 2017. He has supplanted rookie John Beecher, who was returned to Providence over the weekend, as a swift fourth line presence. His speed has always been there, but now it just seems he knows how to better utilize it.

“I think he’s much more assertive,” said coach Jim Montgomery after Monday’s morning skate prior to the B’s showdown with the Winnipeg Jets. “He’s winning the one-on-one battles for us and he’s hard on pucks. Not everyone is meant to be a physical player but everyone’s meant to win one-on-one battles and he’s doing a really good job of that. And his speed has been a welcome addition to our team.”

Boqvist, now skating on a fourth line with center Matt Poitras and wing Danton Heinen, conceded that it took some time learning the B’s system as well as the compete level that is hard-wired into the Bruins’ ethic. It helped that he could get a crash course in Providence under coach Ryan Mougenel.

“I’m more comfortable coming back here,” said Boqvist, who has 1-2-3 totals and is plus-4 in 10 games. “I learned a lot about Bruins’ hockey from all the guys who’ve been here for a couple of years and the coaching staff down there and now here, too. I know the guys better and the coaching staff better and that’s obviously helped. It feels good, but I feel I have more to bring out, too.”

Not only does he look like a different player from the outside looking in, Boqvist feels like a different player as well.

“The first game I had was the Anaheim game, compared to the Tampa game here a couple of weeks ago here, I feel way different and know how I can be successful in this system and this playing style. It feels way different, for sure,” said Boqvist.

Not getting qualified can be a gut punch to a player’s confidence, especially one with Boqvist’s pedigree. But it can also provide the impetus for that player to get himself back on track.

“It can be a blow, but if you’re competitive and you want to play in the National Hockey League, or whatever league you’re going to be playing in, you have two choices. You can feel sorry for yourself, or you can dig in and work and work to get it back,” said Montomery. “Adversity in life and as every day hockey players, you’ve got to dig and fight for what you want. When we’re looking at players like Boqvist and Heinen, who is another guy who has come to mind, those guys have dug in. They’re playing real good hockey for us and they’re building our team game. And they’re getting rewarded with production for us as well.”

While it took him some time to get back to the NHL, the confidence he belonged didn’t waver.

“I feel like I still believed in myself,” said Boqvist. “I think I still had a good summer coming into this season, too. I’m taking steps, even though I started with Prov. That’s what I wanted to do, take steps and win hockey games. It’s been a good last couple of weeks here.”….

When the season started, Pavel Zacha was expected to play with David Pastrnak, which would be considered the penthouse for any centerman. But as combinations evolved and Montgomery tried different things, a new top line of Pastrnak, center Charlie Coyle and left wing Brad Marchand has emerged.

Zacha has hardly been banished to the outhouse on a second line with James van Riemsdyk and Jake DeBrusk, especially with the way DeBrusk has been heating up lately. Still, it could have been a come-down for Zacha, who’d looked forward to playing with his countryman Pastrnak over the summer. Montgomery credits Zacha’s upbringing and the way his father (also Pavel) steered his development from a very young age for having the excellent team-first attitude he possesses.

“He’s really good. I think his identity as a person is he’s going to work through things,” said Montgomery. “I think his dad taught him that at a young age, to be regimented, to be disciplined. He has a very professional approach to every day and whatever’s being asked of him is never too much of an ask, especially when it comes to the team.”

Zacha played left wing on the highly productive Czech line with Pastrnak and Davi Krejci last season and this season he’s moved to the middle, his natural position.

“I was always a player who can play wherever the team needs me,” said Zacha. “I was able to come in last year and play in the position I played. I know it’s where the team needs me to play and it’s still a lot of minutes and in the important part of the game. That’s something as player I want to be good at and to get those opportunities.”…

Kevin Shattenkirk was set to be the healthy scratch on the back end while Parker Wotherspoon drew back in to face the Jets.