Considering all the Boston Bruins have gone through thus far in the season, they can take solace in the fact that they are near first place in the Atlantic Division. But recently, the Bruins took a big hit on defense, as assistant captain Charlie McAvoy suffered a horrific injury last Saturday. When facing the Montreal Canadiens, McAvoy took a slapshot to the face from defenseman Noah Dobson. McAvoy underwent surgery this week, but there was no initial timetable for a return.
ESPN's Emily Kaplan provided a bit more clarity on McAvoy's return timeline. While Kaplan says that it ultimately depends on how he recovers from surgery, the expectation is that McAvoy should be okay for the Winter Olympics this February. McAvoy is slated to play for Team USA.
A few injury updates around NHL..
— Emily Kaplan (@emilymkaplan) November 20, 2025
-Charlie McAvoy’s timeline depends on healing from facial surgery, but expectation is he’ll be OK for Olympics. Best case in what was a horrible scenario.
-Islanders bracing for possibility Alexander Romanov out ‘a while’ following Mikko…
Winter Olympics viewed as realistic return for Charlie McAvoy
The Winter Olympics are set to begin on Feb. 6 and conclude on Feb. 22 from Milan, Italy. So that's over two months away. While the international teams are trying to trim down their rosters to figure out which bubble players will make the cut. McAvoy was a confirmed member of Team USA's preliminary roster.
McAvoy competed for Team USA earlier this year in the 4 Nations Face-Off, a four-team tournament that replaced the All-Star Game. McAvoy only played two games, as he suffered an upper body injury, which required him to go to the hospital, and thus he missed the championship game. Ultimately, that injury knocked McAvoy out for the remainder of the Bruins' season.
McAvoy had high expectations for Team USA. After falling short to Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off Championship Game, McAvoy said that Team USA's goal is to win the gold medal for men's ice hockey in the Olympics, something they haven't done since 1980.
“I don’t think we’re dancing around it, either,” McAvoy said, h/t NHL.com. “I think we’re pretty comfortable talking about how it’s our time. We have an expectation amongst our group here. All [the] guys that are here, everybody understands the message, which is we’re going to win gold.”
Before suffering the face injury this past Saturday, McAvoy record 14 points, all assists through 19 games. Those points are the fourth-most on the Bruins this season.
There are still plenty of variables that can affect McAvoy's return to Boston, but based on Kaplan's reporting, it's entirely possible that he could be back in time to suit up for Team USA.