What You Need to Know About the 2014 Training Camp for the Boston Bruins

As the schedule currently reads on the team’s website, the Boston Bruins’ 2014 training camp shall include 20 practices, one intramural game and seven extramural exhibitions. Off-ice testing constitutes the itinerary for the first official day of activity this Thursday.

The eight total scrimmages will take the Bruins to six different venues, including their own mansion and that of their AHL partner.

With some of the key preseason storylines surrounding the organization, who the bystanders see between the boards and who are conspicuous by their absence could be equal magnets for intrigue.

As per the unwritten custom, there will be a few positional footraces worth watching. But those ought to take the middle row of the minivan, while two unresolved off-ice matters remain relevant.

Here is the lowdown on the Bruins' 2014 preseason itinerary as well as five of those on- and off-ice storylines that figure to permeate their news cycle for the foreseeable future.

Practice Details

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All but five practices, which begin on Friday, will take place at Ristuccia Arena in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

The exceptions, location-wise, are on the days of extramural home games, when the team will run either one or two morning skates at the TD Garden.

As of this Wednesday, five of the 15 dates between Sept. 19 and Oct. 4 do not include a practice session at one of the Bruins' home facilities. Sept. 21 is the afternoon of the intrasquad scrimmage. Sept. 25 and Oct. 1 are currently “TBD” entries. Sept. 27 is the second of two consecutive road games, and Oct. 3 is a travel day/away game night.

Sept. 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26 and 30 will each feature back-to-back split-squad practices.

Game Dates/Locations

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Sunday, Sept. 21: Black and Gold intrasquad scrimmage, Dunkin Donuts Center, Providence, 5:05 p.m. ET

Tuesday, Sept. 23: Montreal Canadiens, Bell Centre, Montreal, 7:30 p.m. ET

Wednesday, Sept. 24: Washington Capitals, TD Garden, Boston, 7 p.m. ET

Friday, Sept. 26: Washington Capitals, Verizon Center, Washington, D.C., 7 p.m. ET

Saturday, Sept. 27: Detroit Red Wings, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, 7 p.m. ET

Tuesday, Sept. 30: New York Islanders, TD Garden, Boston, 7 p.m. ET

Friday, Oct. 3: New York Islanders, Webster Bank Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut, 7:30 p.m. ET

Saturday, Oct. 4: Detroit Red Wings, TD Garden, Boston, 5:30 p.m. ET

As the Bruins’ radio partner, 98.5 The Sports Hub, announced last Tuesday, the network will broadcast the Montreal game and all three home games. The team’s website notes that the New England Sports Network will televise the Sept. 30 and Oct. 4 contests.

Storyline No. 5: Subban vs. Svedberg

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The 25-year-old Niklas Svedberg is the logical choice to win Boston’s vacant backup goalie position.

Although bigger upsets have happened, the outcome of this late September/early October derby is not the only important aspect of the fight for the Tuukka Rask apprenticeship.

Per DJ Bean of WEEI.com, Malcolm Subban admitted during rookie camp, “Obviously I still have a lot of developing to do; I’m only 20, so I’ll just keep trying to develop right now and play with other guys my age and just go from there.”

Nonetheless, odds are neither half of last year’s Providence tandem will take Subban’s presence at training camp as an inconsequential formality. As long as the netminding prospects push each other the same way they have in the AHL, Boston’s qualitative goaltending stable will burgeon on schedule.

Even if Subban makes the expected return to the minors, he will likely receive a couple of one-game summons to The Show this winter. In case of injury, illness or even a simple rest night, he will need to be ready to spell Svedberg or Rask once or twice.

The better his preseason impression, the better Boston’s brass will feel about making those call-ups.

Storyline No. 4: Pastrnak’s Pursuit

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Like Subban, David Pastrnak is most likely going back to his original club once Boston sets its opening-night roster. That notion, however, need not stop him from leaving a lingering impression.

From his first-round selection in June to rookie camp this month, Pastrnak has escalated the excitement among Bruins followers. His next step will be running drills and taking shifts among and against established NHL talent.

As an elite right-handed winger, Pastrnak should ultimately grow to deliver some much yearned-for flair to Boston’s strike force. But he first needs to demonstrate considerable physical, mental and psychological growth.

It would be at least mildly shocking if he cracks the 2014-15 roster outright. But one need not dismiss the possibility of Pastrnak building enough promise now to earn a late-season summons across the pond if his Swedish league schedule permits it.

Storyline No. 3: Centers of Attention

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Ryan Spooner, who played 20 games in Boston last season, is due for a permanent promotion from Providence. The question is whether he usurps a slot in his natural center position or accepts an indefinite wing assignment.

Fellow up-and-coming striker Alexander Khokhlachev is another pivot who should get a longer-than-average look in training camp. Between him and Spooner, the Bruins depth chart boasts seven healthy skaters who can take the middle lane.

Naturally, if they are all to occupy the 2014-15 roster, three of them will need to find a new niche on the side. Chris Kelly has already done this in the past year, and Gregory Campbell has addressed the possibility of doing the same.

With formal practices and exhibition games finally drawing near, speculation will finally give way to tangible and visible evidence of what will work best.

Storyline No. 2: Contracts Sidelining Krug, Smith

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Two weeks ago, Boston general manager Peter Chiarelli expressed his hope to finish all free-agent re-signings before training camp.

Nothing doing yet when it comes to forward Reilly Smith and defenseman Torey Krug. At least not on the eve of camp.

As their NHL roster payroll reads on CapGeek, the Bruins are still $809,143 above the salary cap. Given that circumstance, placing Marc Savard on long-term injured reserve would mean setting aside $4,027,143 and reserving $3,218,000.

Would that be enough to split between Krug and Smith for at least a one-year renewal? Only the negotiating parties can answer that.

Speaking most technically, one or both can agree to a deal and join in at any time. Outside developments, however, could be necessary to ensure there is enough cap space to satisfy both restricted free agents.

One of those developments could come in the form of a trade that exports a player who is currently crowding a certain position. On that note, we turn to the top storyline worth following in Boston’s 2014 training camp…

Storyline No. 1: Defensive Deletion?

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It has been 11 weeks since Chiarelli acknowledged his blue-line overstock.

With at least eight NHL-ready rearguards (nine if you count David Warsofsky) under his auspices, he told the press, “We can’t go into the year with nine NHL defensemen…I have to do something here, but I’m in no hurry. It may be that we see how the preseason goes, with who’s mixing and matching with whom.”

Well, the preseason is now upon us, and the regular season begins three weeks from Wednesday. Yet counting the still contract-less Krug, the Bruins still have those nine players Chiarelli speaks of.

Adding to the suspense, Amalie Benjamin of The Boston Globe assessed the matter by writing, "On Sunday, Chiarelli said he will use training camp to watch his defensemen, to see how they pair together, to see who might fit best, before deciding who to ship out of town."

It looks like the aforementioned preseason plan to watch “who’s mixing and matching” is going to be the approach. It is a safe bet that Chiarelli is waiting to ensure that the likes of Dennis Seidenberg, who has not played in nearly nine months due to injury, demonstrates nothing but normalcy as everything takes shape.

Regardless, multiple players are all but certain to see their names start to circulate in the rumor mill between now and early October. That is unless Chiarelli makes his decision a little sooner and pursues and polishes off a deal beforehand, which is hardly implausible.

Unless otherwise indicated, all statistics and schedule information for this report were found via bruins.nhl.com.