It was a frustrating 2024-25 season for Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy on a number of levels. He suffered what turned into a season-ending injury in the 4 Nations Face-Off. When he went down, so did the Black and Gold's hopes of making the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
When the dust settled, not only was McAvoy's season cut short, but fellow blueliner Hampus Lindholm suffered what ended up being a season-ending injury in November of 2024 against the St. Louis Blues while blocking a shot shorthanded. Those losses on the backend, combined with a trade deadline firesale last March, sent the Bruins into a quick retool.
Read More: Ranking the Boston Bruins' 3 biggest playoff choke jobs in franchise history
McAvoy returned healthy for the 2025-26 season, but injuries once again played a big part in his season. Last November, he took a deflected shot to the face, which broke his jaw and caused him to miss some significant time. He returned, and in early February he took a cheap shot to the head with an elbow by Sandis Vilmanis of the Florida Panthers.
He ended up returning to the game and played a big role in Team USA winning the Gold Medal at the Olympics. McAvoy ended up finishing the season strong, aside from a suspension in the playoffs, but where did he fall on the NHL Network's list for the Top 20 defensemen for 2026?
Charlie McAvoy lands in a familiar spot on NHL Network's top 20 defensemen list
On Sunday night, the NHL Network released the Top 20 defensemen for the 2025-26 season. McAvoy came in at No. 11, the same spot he was in last summer. A second straight ranking outside of the Top 10 for McAvoy is a little bit surprising.
NHL Network's Top 20 Defensemen Right Now list has a total of:
— NHL Media (@NHLMedia) August 10, 2026
• 21 total All-Star Game appearances
• 11 All-Rookie team honors
• Seven Norris Trophies
• Seven Olympic Gold Medals
• Four Calder Trophies
• Two Conn Smythe Trophies
• Six Stanley Cups
What do you think of… pic.twitter.com/lojAgF9y4V
New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaeffer skyrocketed into the Top 10, coming in at No. 7 as a standout first NHL season as the No. 1 pick of the 2025 Entry Draft. Surprisingly, McAvoy landed outside the Top 10 again. There are some very good defensemen in the NHL, but there is no reason McAvyoy shouldn't be in the Top 10.
He will be suspended for the first six games of the 2026-27 season for his slash on Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson at the end of their first-round playoff series back in May. Did that, along with McAvoy's questionable history with the league and taking cheap shots, catch up with him? It shouldn't, and any fans who say it does would love to have him logging over 20 minutes a night on their defense.
McAvoy will tell you he doesn't care about the ranking, but you know deep down inside that he will use it as motivation for the upcoming season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google