I don’t know about you, but that crisp air that I woke up to this morning had me ready for hockey season, and it’s exciting that it seems like it’s right around the corner.

The Bruins face a key decision regarding their lineup, particularly at the second-line right-wing position. With David Pastrnak locked in as the first-line right winger, the team is still searching for a reliable option to fill the spot behind him. The Bruins brass would likely love it if young in-house candidates such as Fabian Lysell or Georgie Merkulov could earn that spot, but some competition in camp is never a bad thing.

According to Shawn Hutcheon of the Fourth Period, the Bruins have expressed interest in free-agent forwards Blake Wheeler and Kailer Yamamoto. The team is considering bringing them in on professional tryout (PTO) contracts, following a similar approach they took last season with Alex Chiasson and Danton Heinen. While Chiasson did not make the final roster, Heinen impressed enough to earn himself a contract, proving that PTOs are a path that Don Sweeney and Cam Neely are not afraid of going down.

A source close to the situation has told me the #NHLBruins are considering extending PTO (Professional Tryout) offers to forwards Blake Wheeler and Kailer Yamamoto.

— Shawn Hutcheon (@ShawnHutcheon) August 19, 2024

Wheeler began his NHL Career in 2008 after spurning the Phoenix Coyotes, who drafted him in the first round in 2004. Wheeler is a veteran presence with strong leadership qualities, but there’s reason to question if there’s enough gas left in the tank. Yamamoto is very much the yin to Wheeler’s yang, as he is a younger forward with speed and offensive upside, could both be intriguing options to bolster the Bruins’ depth and compete for that role.

Wheeler brings a wealth of experience, having served as the Jets’ captain and consistently contributing offensively. He is 37 years old and coming off an injury-plagued year with the New York Rangers. On the other hand, Yamamoto, coming off a stint with the Seattle Kraken, offers a different skill set with his quickness and playmaking ability.

As training camp approaches, it will be interesting to see if the Bruins opt to bring in Wheeler and Yamamoto on PTOs and whether either forward can follow Heinen’s footsteps by earning a contract with the team.