Morning Skate: Beginnings

Welcome to the last Monday in August, folks!

If you’re a summer person, the month flew by; if you hate the summer, it’s been a long slog. Either way, it’s definitely Monday.

I went with another random picture for this post, as this one of some guys cooking at a restaurant in New Bedford was among the most recent in the “Boston Bruins” tag. I respect the guy for still wearing his 2011 Cup gear.

Last week, I mentioned the Boston Herald’s interview with new Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery. This weekend, it was the Boston Globe’s turn, with Matt Porter sharing early nuggest from an interview of his own.

The whole article is worth the read (especially during the hockey-starved days of summer), but the interesting notes include:

• Montgomery confirming that Zacha-Bergeron-DeBrusk will be a thing, at least to start the season.
• New assistant John Gruden will be tasked with breathing new life into the power play.
• Jakub Zboril will likely spend a lot of time playing on his off side while Matt Grzelcyk is out.

Nothing really groundbreaking there, but it at least provides a look at Montgomery’s thinking as training camp approaches.

What’s on tap for today?

Today’s discussion topic

I know they only exist for the sake of argument, but: NHL Network’s newest list has Charlie McAvoy as the league’s fifth-best defenseman — behind (in order) Cale Makar, Victor Hedman, Roman Josi, and Adam Fox.

Your thoughts?