The Bruins’ next wave gets rolling this morning in Brighton, and rookie camp opens with a 16-prospect pool plus seven invitees before the group heads to Buffalo for a pair of games. James Hagens and Dans Locmelis are the names drawing the most attention on the roster, and after Saturday’s session the rookies will make the trip west for the prospects showcase.
The timing is busy across the organization. The second and final captains’ practice wrapped up yesterday, and Charlie McAvoy met with reporters after it, touching on both his suspension and the Bruins’ open captaincy. McAvoy will miss the first six games after a slash on Zach Benson, and he said that if the captaincy goes to someone else, he does not expect any friction in the room.
That leadership question remains one of the biggest storylines in Boston, but there’s another familiar name now floating around the Bruins’ orbit. Chris Kreider became a free agent at 2:00 PM yesterday, and his wish to head east and play “closer to family” has put Boston in the conversation.
The 35-year-old Boxford native has scored 22 goals in each of the last two seasons, and he’d clearly bolster the top six. At the same time, adding him would create a ripple effect down the lineup, especially with the Bruins already carrying a crowded group of forwards and younger players waiting for their chance.
The rookie camp group will be in Buffalo for games on Sunday and Monday, with the prospects showcase set for Sunday, Sept. 13 at 5:00 PM and Monday, Sept. 14 at 12:00 PM at LECOM Harborcenter.
Boston’s weekend also includes Fan Fest, with events both Saturday and Sunday from 11 AM to 2 PM. Michael DiPietro and Frederic Brunet are scheduled for Warwick on Saturday, where a Patrice Bergeron Look-A-Like contest will also be held, with the winner receiving a pair of tickets to Bergeron’s Number Retirement Ceremony. On Sunday in Worcester, Connor Clifton and Will Borgen are set to appear.
NESN also announced contract extensions for Andy Brickley, Sophia Jurksztowicz, and Adam Pellerin for the upcoming Bruins season.
Around the league, Chris Kreider’s free-agent market is getting plenty of attention. Sportsnet’s Rory Boylen laid out five possible landing spots, with Boston among them. Montreal Hockey Now also noted that Kreider is still a target, even if the fit there is a tougher sell.
A few other offseason items are moving as well. The Vegas Golden Knights signed Braeden Bowman to a 6x$3.4M extension that begins in the 2027-28 season. Bowman had 26 points in 54 games last season, his first in the NHL, and 62 points in 88 career AHL games.
Connor Hellebuyck remains with Winnipeg, but Elliotte Friedman said on the first 32 Thoughts: The Podcast of the season that the Sabres, Mammoth, and Hurricanes are still around him. He described the Devils as having “very mixed messaging on New Jersey,” and New Jersey Hockey Now examined why the signals are so inconsistent and why the Devils may not have what the Jets want.
Carolina added former Bruin Mike Reilly on a one-year, two-way deal yesterday, leaving the Hurricanes with $8.18M in cap space while they still need to sign Alexander Nikishin. Friedman said the Predators have shown interest in Nikishin, and Carolina Hockey Now took a closer look at the team’s blue line.
In the Atlantic Division, Florida Hockey Now continued its offseason grades. The Sabres, after ending the NHL’s longest playoff drought, beat the Bruins in six before falling to Montreal in seven, and now the bar is higher. The club moved on from Bowen Byram and Alex Tuch while locking up its young core.
There’s also an update on Kevin Fiala, who underwent a procedure related to the lower-body injury he suffered at the Olympics. He’s expected to miss the start of training camp, and his return timeline is still to be determined.
And in Hall of Fame news, Phil Kessel is headed to the US Hockey Hall of Fame. The Bruins’ fifth-overall pick in the 2006 draft will be inducted alongside his sister Amanda Kessel, TJ Oshie, Ryan Suter, and Stan Wong at a ceremony in Washington, DC, on Nov. 30.
The Bruins’ offseason calendar now moves from rookie camp today to the first preseason game on Sunday, Sept. 20 at TD Garden.
In Other News...
Bruins Camp Opens With Real Pressure On Mason Lohreis Future
Training camp is opening with the Bruins carrying more defensemen than obvious lineup spots, and that kind of logjam usually means someone is going to end up in the conversation before long. Mason Lohrei is right in the middle of it, not because Boston has made any move, but because the roster math has put a young defenseman under a brighter-than-usual spotlight as the club tries to sort out its deeper needs.
The larger question for Boston is whether a defense surplus can be used to address the center depth the team still wants to improve. Lohreis contract situation adds another layer of interest, since he is entering a pivotal stretch of his development and future team control, but no decision has been made and no trade is on the board yet. For now, the pressure is less about a finished deal than about how long the Bruins can keep all of these moving parts in place. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Get An Early Look At A Prospect Ready To Push Forward
The Bruins have their prospects back in the building this week at Warrior Ice Arena, where Providence players and invitees are going through rookie camp before heading to Buffalo for games against Sabres prospects. It is a familiar September setup, but one with a little more intrigue around Dans Locmelis, who already has NHL experience and has added international play to his resume as he tries to keep pushing his way up the organizational ladder.
Providence coach Trent Whitfield has spoken highly of Locmelis even after the shoulder surgery that interrupted his momentum, and the next few days should offer the first real chance to see where he stands now. He is set to get game action against Buffalo and then carry that into the shortened training camp, which makes this an early test worth watching for a player the Bruins clearly view as more than just another camp body. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Camp Opens With Two Leadership Questions That Could Matter Fast
As Bruins camp gets rolling, one of the quieter storylines around Warrior Ice Arena is the leadership picture. Boston is weighing whether to name a captain before the 2026-27 season, and the early read is that the choice will come down to David Pastrnak or Charlie McAvoy, two players who already sit at the center of everything the club does on and off the ice.
McAvoy has already made clear there would be no friction if the decision goes another way, while coach Marco Sturm said the process is still ongoing and will be revisited once the full group is together. Another subplot worth watching is Matthew Poitras, who was on the ice for captains' practice even though he remains unsigned, leaving his status with the organization as one more item the Bruins need to sort through as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]