Welcome welcome! Happy Monday.

Much of the hockey world has fallen into rest over the past month and change. The ever-present football held by Lucy in a McTavish offer sheet might still exist, but until someone actually goes out and does it, I don’t think we’re actually gonna see it. He’ll probably get signed in camp, as is usually the case with these kinds of things. Too many teams are still concerned about getting burned by a failed sheet (or hell, maybe even a successful one) that I don’t think one will ever be done unless it happens to involve some pretty wild circumstances.

So anyway the Bruins should 1000% break that stigma by going after Adam Fantilli next season. Surely this time Lucy will keep the football down long enough to kick it!

Anyway, the big early season story will be players putting their whole ass into their starts, because that could help in being considered for the Olympics.

The Winter Olympics will finally have their highest possible talent threshhold raised for the first time in decades, and it’s becoming clearer and clearer that the players are already getting excited for it. David Pastrnak of course is expected to help carry the Czechs to victory (big whoop, he does that in his day job), but plenty of other Bruins will likely get a look here or there; Jeremy Swayman certainly would love an opportunity to prove that last year was just an ugly fluke in a season full of ugly flukes, Charlie McAvoy would sure love to play for Team USA in a way that doesn’t immediately threaten his health I’m sure, and Elias Lindholm realistically has one more kick at this can before Tre Kronor decides to get a little younger in their next go-round.

As for Canadian Bruins? Well, let’s just wait and see how Hockey Canada tries to build their team before we go anywhere on that. It’ll probably be easy to say “McDavid, Crosby, Marner” and whatnot, but recent international teams made by Red and White (and sometimes Black) don’t exactly suggest that they’ll be making the best choices out of the gate. I’m sure they’ll be able to beat Latvia and Italy and whoever, but you never know with Hockey Canada these days…

We’ll have to see as the season plays out where each team plans on going. It’s a little easier with the middle powers (their answer will be EVERY NHLER PLEASE AND THANK YOU), but the main powers of the sport will be very interesting to watch indeed…

Either way, what’s on tap for you, Chowder?