​Connor Nee / Boston Hockey NowThe Boston Bruins are moving closer to puck drop. We’ll get some hockey next weekend when the prospects take the stage in Buffalo, but we still have 23 days until the regular season is a go. In the meantime, a Bruins prospect who is starting the season in the KHL is off to a good start. Elsewhere around the league, there were premature reports about an expansion team in Atlanta. There’s an update on Elliotte Friedman and Kevin Bieksa, who are without a contract as the season approaches. Another team in the Metropolitan Division should be lining up for Quinn Hughes, and there are grades on Zeev Buium’s extension. Happy Sunday, catch up on Bruins and league news in today’s Daily Bean:Boston BruinsKOTKOV: Hello, Matvei Kotkov. The Bruins’ fourth-round pick this summer is starting the season in the KHL, and in his first game (and shot) with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, he found the back of the net. FIRST KHL GAMEFIRST SHOTFIRST GOAL18-year-old Matvei Kotkov scores first goal of 2026-27 KHL season! pic.twitter.com/DNSHznc9oQ— KHL (@khl_eng) September 5, 2026NHL News & National Hockey NowSportsnet: There was a report that an Atlanta group’s expansion bid was in its final stages. Not true. The CEO of the group, Vernon Krause, said that the NHL hasn’t made a decision on the project, but the reports that the bid was in its final stages were “premature and incomplete.”NHL to Atlanta (via 𝕏): The Krause group released a statement about the “premature and incomplete” reports.Statement from Krause Sports & Entertainment regarding potential NHL expansion to The Gathering at South Forsyth. pic.twitter.com/29tMLo23Ee— NHL to Atlanta (@NHLtoAtlanta) September 5, 2026Toronto Sun: Elliotte Friedman is without a contract. Sportsnet let both him and Kevin Bieksa go on August 31, but now it appears that Amazon is out of the picture. Bieksa has entertained opportunities to work in America, while losing Friedman “would be a massive loss” for Sportsnet.NHLTradeRumors.me: Would Quinn Hughes be interested in playing against his brothers as a division rival? With the Philadelphia Flyers’ attempt to land Leo Carlsson and Hughes’ relationship with Rick Tocchet, it’s hard to rule the Flyers out. New Jersey Hockey Now: In June, the New Jersey Devils flipped a fourth-round pick to Detroit for Amadeus Lombardi. Sunny Mehta immediately signed him to a two-year deal, and he is betting on the 22-year-old being “much more than depth.”Pittsburgh Hockey Now: Building the perfect Penguins player. Obviously, Mario Lemieux is the perfect Penguins player, so Dan Kingerski built one based on the current roster. The Athletic: The Canucks just beat the buzzer and signed Zeev Buium to an eight-year deal. Harman Dayal and Corey Pronman handed out grades on the extension, considering the September 15 deadline and the rapidly changing market.Bruins Offseason ScheduleFriday, September 11: Rookie Camp opens – Warrior I