This is our last Monday edition of links, news and notes before the long Labor Day weekend that marks the unofficial end of summer. I’m ready to get the Ottawa Senators back in my life, but I’m also not at all ready for summer to be over. Help?

Anyway, here is the latest news from the world of hockey:

– The Ottawa Senators have really focused on developing Jake Sanderson this offseason, and why not? The likeable defenseman took a big step forward last season and now looks to be becoming one of the “faces of the franchise.” On Friday, the team released another edition of Bell Breakaway, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at his day-to-day life. I have to admit, I had to laugh a bit when Sanderson said he loves to cook and then immediately proceeded to prepare a most bland-looking dish of ground beef, sweet potatoes, and mashed avocado that he claims to eat every night. However, the fact that Sanderson actually cooks for himself probably puts him miles ahead of most pros.

-How do you know the season is fast approaching? The ice is back at Canadian Tire Centre, and with the new liner, the center ice has a snazzy new look:

– In the Western Conference, the Nashville Predators traded promising goalie Yaroslav Askorov to the San Jose Sharks on Friday. In exchange for Askarov, Nolan Burke and a third-round pick for 2025, the Predators received David Edstrom, a conditional first-round pick for 2025 and Magnus Chrona. Ryan Clark analyzes what, at least at first glance, looks like a fairly small return for a goalie who was once considered an infallible talent.

– Elliotte Friedman’s latest “32 Thoughts” has some interesting things about the Carolina Hurricanes’ expansion and roster machinations, but makes no mention of the Sens.

– The AHL mandated neck braces for all its players on Friday, to which I say fine. I’ve seen the same polls as you that show that players are largely opposed to mandating the same gear in the NHL, but at some point you have to take some decisions about player safety out of the hands of the players – as crazy as that may sound. There was a lot of opposition before the helmet mandate, Craig McTavish famously didn’t wear a helmet in the 1996-97 season, but I don’t think you can really argue today that players aren’t much safer with helmets.

– After a somewhat unexpected departure from the Hurricanes organization, Don Waddell has joined the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he promises to change the culture of the organization. All I can say is that I think he has quite a task ahead of him!

-And finally, in a little offseason bullshit, some NHL staffers at the Athletic try their hand at some intentionally outrageous predictions. Of all the crazy claims, the one that intrigues me the most is that Jake Guentzel will win the Maurice Ricard Trophy. If he plays with Nikita Kucherov all season, which is likely, Guentzel will score a LOT of goals.