Here are all the links from around the hockey world, and what I’m reading while fully in disbelief that August, and therefore the summer, is just about over.
*NHL Network ranked the top-20 defensemen in the NHL right now and there wasn’t a single Bruins player on the list. That may change as soon as next season as Charlie McAvoy, Torey Krug and Brandon Carlo continue to improve and push forward, and McAvoy seems to be on a path toward being a true blue No. 1 franchise defenseman.
*Puck Daddy asks if the Montreal Canadiens would have been better off as a franchise if they hadn’t drafted goalie Carey Price?
*The debate continues over Alex Galchenyuk and whether the Habs are going to give him a long, extended look at center. With Claude Julien behind the bench in Montreal, I wouldn’t bet on it unless he really changes himself as a player.
*PHT writer James O’Brien has the rundown on NHL players recognizing National Dog Day yesterday.
*Great story about a local hockey product out of Wakefield, Mass., and the young girl fighting cancer who he’s honoring in a very special way.
Boston Bruins
*The Winnipeg Jets picked up an interesting role player and good dressing room guy in the scrappy Matt Hendricks. These late summer signings can really pan out as the Bruins found with Dominic Moore last season.
*For something completely different: A look back at the saddest movie deaths of the summer, including at least one movie that invoked Mary Poppins y’all.