Morning Skate: Countdown

A new week is upon us, folks!

Depending on how you view the seasons (or if you even have seasons at all), this week will likely make you feel one of two ways:

• Dread at the fact that summer is ending
• Joy at the fact that fall is right around the corner

The end of this week will bring September (or Ceh-ptember, if you’ve been around here long enough), which pretty much means hockey is back.

Informal skates will start in early September, followed by the Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, then training camp, then the preseason, then it’s Christmas.

Buckle up.

Jim Montgomery is already shifting back into hockey mode, per a recent interview with Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald.

Based on that interview, it looks like the Bruins’ top two lines will be:

• James van Riemsdyk - Pavel Zacha - David Pastrnak
• Brad Marchand - Charlie Coyle - Jake DeBrusk

I’m not sure I’m thrilled about the idea of first line JVR, but imagine Marchand would rotate in and out of that spot as needed.

The whole interview is worth a read, as Montgomery also touches on the glut of bottom-six forwards, changes to his coaching staff, and guys who impressed him in development camp.

Hockey content with substance is back, so that’s good.

What’s on tap for today?