Bruins Announce Critical Offseason Dates, Preseason Schedule

By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com

Following the club's first second-round appearance since 2014, the Bruins announced their 'critical' offseason dates and preseason schedule for the upcoming 2018-19 season.

The Bruins will start their 2018-19 work with the NHL Draft Combine, held in Buffalo from May 28 to June 2.

This will be Bruins general manager Don Sweeney and the B's scouting department to get a closer look at and interview potential prospects they could deem a fit for the organization. The Bruins own a pick in the second, third (the pick acquired from the Panthers in exchange for Frank Vatrano), fourth, sixth, and seventh round of this year's draft. The Bruins do not have a pick in the fifth round as a result of last year's Drew Stafford trade, traded their natural third-round selection in the Nick Holden trade, and parted with their first-round selection to acquire Rick Nash this past season.

Sweeney has expressed an interest in getting back into the first round of this year's draft, and the combine should be where that interest either leads to a legitimate pursuit or peters out on the part of the Black and Gold.

The NHL Draft will be held in Dallas on June 22 and 23, and will give Sweeney ample opportunity to explore that trade or make moves necessary to add an impactful left-handed defenseman, which seems to be atop their offseason wishlist.

The Bruins and their new prospects (and some old) will then come back to Boston for the organization's rookie development camp, which will be held June 26 through June 29 at Brighton's Warrior Ice Arena.

Free agency then opens on July 1. The Bruins have seven unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents on their NHL roster, and Sweeney has already said he considers it 'unrealistic' to bring everybody back for another run in Boston.

Taking the rest of the summer off, the B's rookies will get to work with the start of rookie camp Sept. 6 at Warrior. From there, the organization's rookies will then head to Buffalo, where they will compete in a four-team weekend tournament featuring rookie teams from the Penguins, Devils, and hometown Sabres.

Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins will then open their main camp at Warrior on Sept. 10. The camp will then jump into an eight-game preseason slate featuring stops in China, Washington, Detroit, Philadelphia, and Boston.

Saturday, September 15 (Shenzhen Universiade Center, Shenzhen, China)

-Preseason Game at Calgary Flames, TBD

Sunday, September 16 (TD Garden, Boston, MA)

-Preseason Game vs. Washington Capitals, 1 p.m.

Tuesday, September 18 (Capital One Arena, Washington, DC)

-Preseason Game at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, September 19 (Cadillac Arena, Beijing, China)

-Preseason Game vs. Calgary Flames, TBD

Saturday, September 22 (Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI)

-Preseason Game at Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.

Monday, September 24 (Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, PA)

-Preseason Game at Philadelphia Flyers, 7 p.m.

Wednesday, September 26 (TD Garden, Boston, MA)

-Preseason Game vs. Detroit Red Wings, 7 p.m.

Saturday, September 29 (TD Garden, Boston, MA)

-Preseason Game vs. Philadelphia Flyers, 5 p.m.

Ty Anderson is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Ty? Follow him on Twitter @_TyAnderson.