Six Bruins skate as Boston gets back to work in Wilmington

On the eve of September we finally have some actual hockey news, not just those silly rumors.

The players who were present at the ice box today were, Tim Thomas, Tuukka Rask, Zdeno Chara, Marco Sturm, David Krejci, Shawn Thornton, and Kevin Regan.

Most of the news today was about David Krejci, but let's start with a note on Marco Sturm. Sturm appeared in only 19 games last season after tearing the ACL and meniscus in his left knee. However, today Sturm was skating without limitations and is counting on being 100 percent for the start of camp.

As for Krejci, he said that he wasn’t ruling out a return to the lineup for Boston Bruins opening night on Oct. 1 after off season hip surgery. This was a bit of a surprise as the original time table for a return was set for mid November.

However, Krejci said he won’t be ready for full-time drills with the rest of his team when the club starts official training camp on Sept. 12.

This blogger thinks that opening night may be a stretch and that a more realistic date may be when the Bruins go on their first road trip on October 16.

However, Krejci said he will not rush himself back. "I don’t want to rush it, Krejci said. I’d rather miss a few games than be out for half of the year. There’s no point to rushing it.”

BIG Z SPEAKS

Zdeno Chara didn't skate today but did chat with media members briefly. Chara said he was excited to start a new season and answered some questions about his possible new defensive partner, Derek Morris.

"He's a veteran guy who's been in the league for many years," Chara said. "He knows what his job is. We all have expectations, and I'm sure he knows them as well. It's a good addition."

Chara also was asked about the Phil Kessel situation. "It's part of the thing that every player has to realize and decide what he wants to do," Chara said. "The rest is up to management and Phil. As a player, I can't really wish for anything more than to have both sides being happy."

This coming on a day where Canwest News Service reported that the San Jose Sharks are looking to add a scorer and said that they are either going to make a serious push for Dany Heatley or Phil Kessel.

Other teams rumored to be interested in Kessel have been Edmonton, Vancouver, New York Rangers, Minnesota and Los Angeles.

Now, as for the action in Wilmington for the rest of the week, only Sturm, Rask, and Regan are expected to skate tomorrow.

The skates will take place every day this week starting at 11:30 a.m. As always, these sessions are free and open to the public. The next skate with some meat to it may be on Wednesday when Byron Bitz, Dennis Wideman and Derek Morris are expected to arrive.

Trade talks surrounding Kessel heating up?

How about a Phil Kessel update friends? Well, like it or not, you're getting one, courtesy of the New York Post.

The report said that, "The Boston Bruins don't have the cap space to sign the restricted free agent because the 21-year-old center is demanding $5 million." They went on to say that, "For the Bruins to sign Kessel, they would have to dismantle their roster to stay under the cap."

"The Rangers are believed to have talked seriously with the Bruins about trading for Kessel, but not lately," according to the Post. The paper also wrote that, "At least two other teams are believed to have stepped up their bidding of late."

At least three teams, including the New York Rangers, are rumored to be interested. But the New York Post writes those talks have died down as of late.

The other teams that have said to have interest in Kessel are Vancouver, Edmonton and San Jose.

On another note, the Bruins will begin informal practices next week at Ristuccia Arena. The first session of 2009-10 will take place on Monday at 11 a.m. No word on which players will be skating.

Bruins announce rookie camp roster

Last week I promised the Bruins today roster for their upcoming rookie camp in Kitchener, Ontario. Today, we finally got that 24-man list.

The team departs on Saturday, Sept. 5 and returns Thursday, Sept. 10, with three games in between against the Maple Leafs, Senators, and Penguins.

Here's the travel roster for your oversight, with the players positions in parenthesis.

Adam Courchaine (G)

Matt Dalton (G)

Mike Hutchinson. (G)

Ryan Button (D)

Scott Fletcher (D)

Brad Good (D)

Alain Goulet (D)

Mark Isherwood (D)

Rob Kwiet (D)

Marc Zanetti. (D)

Jamie Arniel (F)

Chris DeSousa (F)

Zach Hamill (F)

Jordan Knackstedt (F)

Jason Lawrence (F)

Lane MacDermid (F)

Taylor MacDougall (F)

Matt Marquardt (F)

Jeff LoVecchio (F)

Levi Nelson (F)

Tyler Randell (F)

Max Sauve (F)

Peter Stevens (F)

Jason Wilson (F)

Jordan Caron, Boston's 2009 first-round draft pick will not make the trip due to his injured collarbone.

BU & BC to headline two more games at Fenway this January

Hockey East officials announced Thursday afternoon that the Boston College and Boston University men's hockey teams will face off at the Fens on, Jan. 8.

Along with the Eagles and Terriers, the Northeastern University and UNH women's hockey teams will also lace them up to form a college hockey doubleheader at Fenway Park.

The tickets for the two games that are a week after the Bruins and Flyers tilt on New Year's Day will go on sale Sept. 17, and ticket prices will range from $5-90.

Yelle sings with Carolina

Stephane Yelle, who spent last season with the Bruins, has signed with the Carolina Hurricanes.

The 'Canes of course ended Boston's season in the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Semi Finals.

Yelle, 35, signed a one-year, $550,000 contract with Carolina. Yelle will be reunited with his 08-09 teammate, Aaron Ward, who was dealt to Carolina last month.

In Yelle, Carolina gets a good penalty killer and proven veteran leadership. He is entering his 14th NHL season, and the Hurricanes will be his fourth NHL team.

Yelle became expendable when the Bruins decided to sign Steve Begin, to replace Yelle as their fourth line center.

Kessel and Bruins no closer to a deal

Contract negotiations between the Bruins and restricted free agent Phil Kessel continue to be heading in the wrong direction, reports the Boston Globe.

According to the paper, Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli remains hopeful a deal will be struck.

"Right now, there is nothing going on," Chiarelli told the Globe. "This is a player that we still covet, and we'll do anything to keep him - within reason, including matching an offer sheet and shuffling our roster around."

However, the two sides still appear to be at a standstill as the Kessel camp seems to be holding out for something in the neighborhood of $4 million plus.

It has been widely reported that Boston will not give Kessel more than David Krejci money ($3.75 million). However, it is not known whether or not Boston has even approached that number.

When asked if Kessel is holding out for the big bucks, Kessel responded with a short answer, "No." Kessel has said he would ideally like to make something in the upper four range, but has not asked for anything above that mark, even at the start of negotiations.

Kessel said he understood that this is a business and that he knows there is a real chance that he may be in another uniform in 09-10. The speedster did say that he is ahead of schedule and expects to be back on the ice in mid November, whether he will be wearing a Bruins sweater or not.

If Kessel is not back in Boston, where will he end up? The list of teams floated out there have been San Jose, Edmonton and Vancouver. Much of the rumors have had to do with San Jose, but I am more inclined to think Kessel would end up in Vancouver or Edmonton.

The clock is ticking, with the start of camp just a few weeks away. However, since Kessel would not be on the ice anyway, things could still drag out well into September or beyond.

Bruins Sunday quick hits

Hey everyone, it is time for some Bruins quick hits.

*According to Peter Chiarelli, the Bruins this week will announce the names of the two dozen youngsters they’ll invite to their rookie tournament Sept. 6-10 in Kitchener, Ontario.

Some of the Bruins biggest names in terms of young talent, Jordan Caron, Yuri Alexandrov and Carl Soderberg will not be in attendance. Caron will be recovering from injury, while Alexandrov and Soderberg are going to be continuing their careers over seas for at least one more season.

*Tomorrow at noon, the NHL will release ticket information on nhl.com for the Jan. 1 Winter Classic at Fenway Park. Purchases will be by lottery later in the month or early September. To get in on the lottery, get to nhl.com/winterclassic after noon tomorrow.

*Chiarelli said he expects the Bruins will have some sort of a ceremony for P.J. Axelsson, who decided to return to Sweden this summer after logging 851 NHL games for the Bruins.

Details have yet to be worked out, but expect to see PJ back in Boston at some point this season.

Winter Classic ticket details to be available Monday

The NHL will finally disclose the details of ticket availability on Monday at nhl.com/winterclassic. According to the NHL, the information will be posted at approximately noon, ET.

All Bruins season ticket holders who have full season-ticket packages have been guaranteed the right to purchase tickets to the Jan. 1 game, which will begin at 1 p.m.