The calendar says August. The weather says summer.



By those measures, Charlie McAvoy’s absence of a contract for 2019-20 is not costing his representative sleep. The Bruins’ preseason opener is Sept. 16 against New Jersey.



“The conversations have been going fine and they’re still continuing,” said Michael Curran, McAvoy’s agent. “Time will come where we find a meeting place. I just don’t know when it’s going to be. Charlie wants to be a Bruin.”



It would be one thing if McAvoy were an outlier. In previous offseasons, the 21-year-old would have qualified as such. By now, most second contracts have been signed.



But this is the summer of the stalemate. High-end players exiting the entry-level system, gazing at the raises previously granted to Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews, have not agreed on any solutions to extend their employment to such wallet-plumping...