Daily Bean: Marchenko Speaks; Bruins Training Camp; RIP Alex Gimenez

September 19, 2026 · Yahoo Sports

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Boston Bruins are 10 days away from opening day and one away from their first preseason game.

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They will take to the ice for the third on-ice session at Warrior Ice Arena this morning, and that includes a scrimmage between the two groups. The Bruins have been on the ice for two days, and Marco Sturm kept the lines very much the same, including the pairing of Charlie McAvoy and Frederic Brunet. Billy Sweezey is hurt, so Dylan Mackinnon was called up to the camp roster.

RIP Alex Gimenez. Very sad news.

Elsewhere around the league, Kirill Marchenko was not too clear about his future in Columbus. He said his agent and the Blue Jackets GM are dealing with the business side, but he stopped short of answering whether or not he liked playing in Columbus. Brad Marchand will miss some time during the regular season, and both Evgeni Malkin and Ryan O’Reilly talked about their futures. There’s more on Quinn Hughes, and there’s a Red Wings RFA at training camp, even though he does not have a contract.

Happy Saturday, catch up on Bruins and league news in today’s Daily Bean:

Boston Bruins

MCAVOY/BRUNET: Charlie McAvoy is taking Frederic Brunet under his wing this week. The Bruins’ top defenseman was in this spot a few years back, and he had a Hall of Famer helping him out. McAvoy said he takes the same approach with every player, but he’s fond of the guy Marco Sturm paired him with during the first two days.

CAMP NOTEBOOK: On Thursday, the Bruins rolled out similar line combinations to the 2025-26 season. They kept those together on Friday, and Marco Sturm said the Bruins are taking it day by day, and “we feel like we should go for another day or two with the same lineup.”

Billy Sweezey has an upper-body injury and will be out for a few days.

CAMP SCHEDULE: The Bruins hit the ice for day three today! Check out the full 49-man roster and 13-day schedule for training camp and preseason.

Today’s schedule:

10:00 AM – Group A
11:15 AM – Group A vs. Group B scrimmage
12:10 PM – Group B

Boston Bruins (via 𝕏): The Boston Bruins are mourning the loss of Alex Gimenez, who was hired in July as the Director of Hockey Operations, Collective Bargaining Agreement. Gimenez, who graduated from Cornell in 2015, spent a decade working for the Red Sox before a stop with the PWHL.

A statement from Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney. pic.twitter.com/bsuuSzDG7S
— Boston Bruins (@NHLBruins) September 18, 2026

From Marco Sturm at yesterday’s media availability: “First of all, you guys heard the sad news about Alex. I got to know him a couple weeks ago. He just came in, was very excited, very happy. So unfortunately, it’s a big loss for us. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family. He was looking forward to be a Boston Bruin. That was hard. It was a hard morning today to hear that news.”

Remembering Alex Gimenez ❤️ pic.twitter.com/Su5GqsQRfD
— NESN (@NESN) September 18, 2026

NHL News & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Kirill Marchenko was pressed about his future in Columbus. Back at the draft, Kevin Weekes reported Marchenko was not intending to re-sign with the Blue Jackets. He wanted to talk hockey yesterday and said that the business side is on his agent and GM Don Waddell.

Nasher/Mark Scheig (video via 𝕏): This was not pretty.

“Do you like playing hockey here (in Columbus)?”

Marchenko: yeah, I love to play hockey…

“Here?”

Marchenko: haha, it’s a good question#CBJ video via @mark_scheig pic.twitter.com/DLUNo4cBz6

— Nasher (@TheNasher61) September 18, 2026

Florida Hockey Now: Brad Marchand missed Zee’s Final Shift because of a recent surgery. The surgery is keeping him out through October, according to Paul Maurice. He skated ahead of training camp, but the former Bruins captain will be rehabbing through the first month of the season.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Evgeni Malkin retirement talks are back. Maybe he’s playing his last season; maybe he’s not. Yesterday, he gave some thought to the conditions for extending or ending his career. Dan Kingerski has more on the 40-year-old forward’s future.

Detroit Hockey Now: Simon Edvinsson is at Red Wings camp even without a contract. “I’m on a PTO now, actually,” he said to reporters in Detroit. The 23-year-old defenseman wants to be at camp, and Todd McLellan gives him a lot of credit for showing up. Edvinsson said he has been talking to interim GM Shawn Horcoff on his future in Detroit.

NHLTradeRumors.me: Ryan O’Reilly does not have a no-trade clause in his contract, but Barry Trotz treated him like he did. Trotz is not in charge anymore, and conversations between O’Reilly and Chris MacFarland have not happened yet. O’Reilly has a year left on his current deal at $4.5M.

The Athletic: Quinn Hughes, again, was asked if he wants to play with his brothers in New Jersey. Yes, he’s said yes in the past, but he thinks they have something good in Minnesota. There are no issues in Minnesota, according to Hughes, and he does not “feel pressure to do anything.”

Bruins Preseason Schedule

Sunday, September 20, 5:00 PM: vs. Washington – TD Garden, Boston, MA

Tuesday, September 22, 7:00 PM: vs. Philadelphia – TD Garden, Boston, MA

Thursday, September 24, 7:00 PM: at Philadelphia – Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA

Friday, September 25, 7:00 PM: at Washington – Capital One Arena, Washington, DC

Tuesday, September 29: Regular season home opener – TD Garden, Boston, MA

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