The Boston Bruins signed Charlie McAvoy to a three-year deal. That’s probably something you all have heard about already. McAvoy appears to be something special and this is just the beginning of the road for him.
Charlie McAvoy is a unique player for the Boston Bruins. Drafted at 14th overall in the first round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, the American blue-liner became the Bruins’ ‘ace in the pack’ in the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Not many times you see a player making his debut, and making an impact in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
McAvoy had that special chance; what was the most important thing – it was the hype around him. The fans saw a ton of hope when viewing McAvoy donning number 73 on the ice in the Bruins’ uniform. Even when he was only 19 years old.
The first two years of regular seasons for Charlie McAvoy have had their ups and downs, for sure. In 2018, he suffered heart problems resulting in some procedure, then he experienced a knee injury, which threatened his presence in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. Last year, frustratingly McAvoy suffered a concussion.
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Hence why Charlie McAvoy missed a total of 47 NHL games in his first two regular campaigns with the Boston Bruins. After the painful Game 7 defeat in the Stanley Cup playoffs, he broke into tears. But three months later, the situation has changed. “I missed everybody a lot. I’m excited to be back,” said McAvoy.
“I think what we have here is special, there’s no doubt about it. There’s no place I’d rather be,” continued McAvoy after he inked a three-year deal. Whether you call it a team-friendly contract or not, Charlie McAvoy didn’t have to take any hometown discounts. That was just the market set by Zach Werenski and Ivan Provorov.
We shouldn’t be surprised if McAvoy signs his following contract even before hitting another restricted free agency. That would be his big eight-year deal. “He is an important, important part of our hockey club this year, last year, and many years going forward,” said Don Sweeney. The Boston Bruins General Manager has it clear.
Charlie McAvoy is poised to become a lifelong Boston Bruins player, simply because there is no other place he would rather be. The Bruins have to slowly begin to think, who is going to be their captain once Zdeno Chara is gone and Patrice Bergeron is not the next Jaromir Jagr. Even if Bergeron was the next Jagr, McAvoy is still only 21. He will continue playing after Bergeron retires, for sure.
McAvoy is not only an outstanding defenseman, but he is also a future (or even present) face of the franchise. A player who sells you the jerseys! During the past Stanley Cup playoffs run, McAvoy averaged 24:30 of ice-time per contest.
As per the Boston Bruins Head Coach Bruce Cassidy, Charlie McAvoy is their matchup guy. It’s not a bad idea either to just let McAvoy play when the toughest competition arrives. At even-strength, he can also walk away from those defensive situations and post nice offensive numbers. That only raises his value.
“I see all my teammates here, and obviously everybody kind of splits for the summer…so I’m here, I’m missing everybody, and they’re all back and I just wanted to be a part and be back with everybody,” said McAvoy.
At the end of the day, he didn’t want to suffer a holdout. A penny up or down, it doesn’t matter. McAvoy has got his money and just wanted to come back and play hockey for the Boston Bruins.
That’s the attitude the Bruins need. It’s coming from a player, whom the Bruins need to have on their blue line. The Bruins should feel happy and proud that Charlie McAvoy is a Bruin. Hopefully, for many years to come.