This is the first of a monthly series throughout the 2015-16 season where Bruins Daily takes a look at things to watch for in the upcoming month. From news and notes, to happenings on and off the ice, we’ll provide an outlook on what to expect.

As the calendar turns to September, the National Hockey League is set to embark on its 98th season. Several teams have begun their own preparations with captains practices, including the the Boston Bruins, as Zdeno Chara led his team onto the Ristuccia Arena ice for their first informal skate on Monday.

The Bruins officially begin their training camp on Thursday, September 17th. Their prospects will report on September 10th before embarking on a trip to Buffalo for a round-robin tournament against The New Jersey Devils, and former Boston University standout Jack Eichel and the Sabres youngsters.

That is just a small sample of what to expect as the Black and Gold make their preparations before the start of their 92nd season in the NHL. Here’s an outlook of what to watch for in Boston hockey during the month of September.

Position battles to dominate training camp

The only locks for the Bruins lineup prior to training camp, if there were such a thing, are this: Tuukka Rask returns between the pipes and Chara will man one of the two spots on the Bruins’ top defensive pair. It’s likely that three-time Selke Award winner Patrice Bergeron will reunite with Brad Marchand for another season, but that is not quite a guarantee given the youngsters (like Ryan Spooner and David Pastrnak) and new additions (Jimmy Hayes, Matt Beleskey and Zac Rinaldo) on the roster.

Will Hayes and Beleskey make their presence known on one of the top two lines? Can Spooner and Pastrnak re-ignite their spark from a season ago? Can Loui Eriksson sustain his place in the top nine? Can Brett Connolly showcase his talents and live up to the expectation that Tampa once had?

Those are just a few questions the Bruins forwards face. The blue-line, however, has more intriguing questions. Who skates opposite Chara? Can Dennis Seidenberg bounce back after a disappointing season? Will Torey Krug make a smooth transition into the top three or four? Will first round pick Jakub Zboril or prospect Colin Miller impress Claude Julien and the coaching staff and make their way into the opening night roster?

These questions will be examined further in the coming months, and we’ll have a more in-depth look at the training camp battles in the coming weeks.

Possible additions?

For most of the summer, Cody Franson’s name was linked to the Bruins. The former Leafs and Preds defenseman went on record that the B’s were one of the teams he was speaking with during an interview with TSN 1040 in Vancouver back in July. Since then, the Sabres have been another team rumored to have an interest in signing Franson.

Given Boston’s current cap space, which is roughly over $4.7 million according to Cap Friendly, the Bruins may need to move some pieces if they’re still interested in signing Franson. If that’s not the case, then maybe GM Don Sweeney can look at making a move for Dustin Byfuglien, but that is still a pipe dream at this point.

State of the Bruins event

Every September, the Bruins hold this town form event for season ticket holders at the TD Garden. Questions range anywhere from the team’s outlook to comments and concerns about the hospitality at the Garden to even a players favorite song, meal and other lighthearted off-topic questions.

This year should see some of the same questions from year’s past. But there’s a chance that things might get a little more interesting than in year’s past after the team failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. With a new GM, a coaching staff that’s arguably on a short leash and an uncertainty on whether or not the Bruins are in a rebuilding mode or not, fans will want answers on how the team will fix the problem and not have a repeat of what happened a season ago.

Expansion Talk

The only two cities to apply for an expansion team, Las Vegas and Quebec City, have already made it past the two first phases of the process. Vegas and Quebec City could have their fate decided as early as this month.

If approved, there will likely be some changes to the way the divisions are realigned. There will be a time and place for that discussion, but either way, the chatter of expansion should gain some more steam in September.

NWHL preps for inaugural season

Led by US Olympians Brianna Decker, Hilary Knight, Meghan Duggan, Kacey Bellamy and Monique Lamoureux, the Boston Blades of the CWHL took home the Clarkson Cup with a victory over the Montreal Stars.

This season, a new four-team women’s league is set to debut in the NWHL with Knight and Decker, along with two other former Olympians in Kacey Bellamy and Gigi Marvin, coming over to the Boston Pride for their inaugural season. Their first practice is scheduled a week from Tuesday.

From Ronda Rousey to the US Women’s Soccer team and previous US-Canada women’s hockey battles, female athletes are getting some well-deserved recognition. It will be interesting to see what is in store as league founder Dani Rylan and Angela Ruggiero, another former Olympian, embark on what they hope is a historic first year.

NHL 16

In two weeks, EA Sports will release their annual virtual hockey game to the masses. Will they bounce back from a shaky performance after their first release for the eighth generation of gaming consoles with NHL 15? We’ll find out when the reviews are in.

A new season also means some new and exciting features for Bruins Daily this season. Stay tuned as we highlight what we have in store for coverage in the near future!