The Bruins are about to flip the switch.
Rookie camp opens at Warrior Ice Arena one week from today, and training camp follows on Sept. 16.
Boston is expected to hit the ice on the 17th, but this won’t be one of those long, sprawling September camps. Opening night comes fast on the 29th, which leaves the Bruins with a shorter runway, four preseason games, and less than two weeks between the first day on the ice and the season opener.
That compressed timeline matters most for the younger players and anyone trying to force their way onto the roster. Marco Sturm said he’ll be making changes during the season, and both he and Frederic Brunet addressed the different feel of camp in separate interviews this week.
The Bruins Alumni also unveiled their 2026-27 schedule yesterday, with stops across New England.
Around the league, the contract watch in Ottawa is heating up. Drake Batherson is in the final year of his deal, and the latest report says he wants an extension done before the Senators open the season on Oct.
- The earlier reporting from Bruce Garrioch had Batherson seeking an eight-year deal before the CBA changes take effect on Sept.
- If a new contract doesn’t get done, the expectation is he’ll head to free agency on July 1.
There was movement elsewhere, too. Luke Evangelista was traded to Newark, and he said he didn’t see it coming.
He was preparing to head back to Nashville before his agent gave him the heads-up and rerouted him. Evangelista put extension talks on hold, but he said his game fits with the Devils and that he’s excited to get started.
Colorado is dealing with its own business. After locking up Cale Makar for another eight years, the Avalanche have turned to Artturi Lehkonen, and those talks could spill into the regular season, according to comments from Joe Sakic.
The Athletic’s player tiers also dropped, and the Bruins landed two names in the all-star tier: Charlie McAvoy at 3A and Jeremy Swayman at 3B. David Pastrnak checked in much higher, in the MVP tier, while Connor McDavid sat alone at the top in 1A.
On the broadcast front, Prime Video Canada announced its schedule, and the Bruins will appear in four Amazon games this season, including both games in Montreal.
One more league note: TSN reported an uptick in American-born players asking for a trade out of Canada. MacKenzie Weegar, now with Utah after being dealt, called it “a bit unfortunate to see players wanting out of Canada.” The summer has already included Brady Tkachuk being traded and Connor Hellebuyck requesting a move, while Quinn Hughes asked out of Vancouver last season and was traded in December.
Sportsnet also published a look at one player who has to deliver for each Metropolitan Division team, from goalies, including a former Bruin, to younger players looking for a breakout.
Here’s the Bruins’ upcoming schedule: Sept.
11: Rookie Camp opens at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Mass. Sept.
13-14: Prospects Showcase at LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y. Sept.
16: Training Camp opens at Warrior Ice Arena in Brighton, Mass. Sept.
20: First preseason game at TD Garden in Boston, Mass. Sept.
29: Home opener at TD Garden in Boston, Mass.
And the Bruins’ Amazon games: Dec. 30: vs.
Edmonton, 7:30 PM Jan. 6: at Montreal, 7:30 PM
Feb. 10: at Toronto, 7:30 PM Mar. 10: at Montreal, 7:30 PM
In Other News...
Bruins Are Taking A Close Look At One Intriguing Undrafted Winger
The Bruins are set to take a closer look at undrafted winger Niko Tournas, with rookie camp giving them a first extended chance to see what he can do against pro-level competition. For a club that is always scanning for low-cost skill and depth on the margins, that kind of look can be meaningful, especially when the player in question is still early in his development and trying to carve out a path that was not handed to him on draft day.
There is still plenty of runway here, and Bostons interest is part of a broader offseason picture in which teams are sorting out development priorities and future options. Tournas situation also sits alongside other personnel news around the league, including Trevor Letowski moving from an assistant role with Montreal to player development duties, a reminder that the pipeline matters as much as the present roster when clubs are trying to keep talent moving in the right direction. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Face A Real Dan Vladar Question After His Breakthrough Season
A career year can look sturdy right up until the numbers start to lean on it, and Pavel Zacha is one of the more interesting examples in that group. In a look at eight NHL players who posted personal-best seasons in 2025-26, the former Bruins forward stood out as a player whose production jumped enough to change the conversation around him, even as the underlying indicators hinted that the scoring touch may not be quite that simple to sustain.
For Boston, the appeal is obvious: Zacha gave them far more offense than they had reason to expect, while also fitting into a lineup role that still asks him to do a lot of the quiet work. The question now is whether that version of him is the new norm or the high-water mark, because the next season will say plenty about how much of that breakout was real growth and how much was a finishing run that might not repeat. [Read more 🡒]
Bruins Need JJ Peterka To Answer One Huge Offensive Question
JJ Peterka arrives in Boston with the kind of offensive rsum the Bruins have been chasing, a 24-year-old winger who has already shown he can finish and create at a high level. Originally drafted by the Sabres in 2020, the Munich native built his reputation in Buffalo before landing with Utah, where he signed a five-year extension and still managed to produce 25 goals in his final season there.
For the Bruins, the larger question is whether that scoring touch can translate into the answer they need at the top of the lineup. Peterka has long been viewed as more than just a complementary piece because of his ability to drive offense, and Boston is banking on him to bring more punch after a move that also sent him out of Utah and left the Mammoth with draft capital in return. [Read more 🡒]