Happy Friday, folks!
We’ve got a warm Friday in store here in the Boston area as we head towards the middle of July. It seems like June 1 was yesterday, and I’m sure it will soon seem like fall is starting.
Time comes for us all, etc.
Things remain relatively quiet for the Bruins, and the NHL as a whole seems to have calmed down a bit after the chaos around the draft/free agency, but we still have a few minor things going on.
B’s re-sign Riley Duran
The Bruins crossed one more item off of their to-d0 list on Thursday, signing forward Riley Duran to a one-year, two-way contract.
The deal is worth $850,000 at the NHL level and keeps the restricted free agent in the Bruins organization.
Duran spent all of last season in Providence, putting up 7G-12A-19PTS totals in 72 regular season games.
With Duran re-signed, Matthew Poitras is now the B’s lone remaining restricted free agent.
P-Bruins schedule released
The 2026-2027 Providence Bruins schedule was released on Thursday, with the B’s AHL affiliate beginning their season on Friday, October 2, against Utica.
The AHL plays a 72-game regular season schedule.
For logistical/cost reasons, AHL teams tend to play wildly unbalanced schedules, at least when compared to the NHL.
To illustrate that point: 36% of the P-Bruins regular season games will be against either Springfield or Hartford.
In any case, the P-B’s will begin the season with the always-awkward celebration of the past season’s success, with plans to raise banners for winning the Atlantic Division and the “Regular Season Championship.”
These things always ring kind of hollow, but especially so for the P-B’s, who kind of fell on their collective face in the playoffs.
This will be a season of change for Providence, with former head coach Ryan Mougenel leaving for Vancouver and a number of players seeking employment elsewhere.
Feed the beast
If you have a subscription to The Athletic, Fluto Shinzawa has an insightful and entertaining read about how the Bruins team chefs worked to feed all of the growing youths at Development Camp.
The youths are even learning from one another that they need to eat more:
“I’ve been hearing it all week from all the guys: ‘You’ve got to eat. Eat,’” Blanár said. “I was with Deano. What that guy eats is insane. Probably not going to get on his level. But a little bit closer.”
To start the third day of camp, Blanár, the Bruins’ 2025 fourth-rounder, ate eight pancakes, eggs, bacon and fruit.
“The food is incredible,” said Blanár, who was back for his second camp. “I’ve got to say, that was one of the most things I missed once I left, the breakfast and lunches. Everything’s great.”
I think I’d fall asleep if I ate eight pancakes, eggs, bacon, and fruit for breakfast. I guess that’s why I never made it in the NHL.
Outside of the hockey world, we’ve got the World Cup ticking towards its conclusion and, if you’re in the Boston area, the Tall Ships coming back this weekend for the first time in quite a while.
What else is on tap for today?
