At this point, Charlie McAvoy might never take the bubble off of his helmet ever again with the way he is playing for the Boston Bruins. McAvoy was having an average season before a slap shot to the face in November knocked him out for a month, but ever since he returned, he has been a force on the Bruins' backend.
Thursday night's win against the Seattle Kraken might've been McAvoy saving his best as a tribute to Zdeno Chara, whose number the Bruins retired pre-game. Chara was the defender's mentor when he first joined the NHL, and McAvoy made sure to honor him correctly with his performance against the Kraken. Boston's assistant captain had two assists, four hits, and three blocked shots, a perfect performance for the two-way defender.
Sturm on whether he thinks McAvoy is playing his best hockey: “I think so, I really do. He’s playing outstanding. Even off the ice, I feel like he’s growing as a leader, too. He does a lot of the right things, takes care of himself, too. He’s in a good spot right now.”
— Jack Studley (@jackstudley13) January 16, 2026
McAvoy… pic.twitter.com/d6HAlHfgsW
McAvoy is at his best when he keeps the game simple and plays a reliable, hard-checking game. Sometimes he gets himself into trouble by trying to contribute too much to the offense, but ironically, he manages to compile points when he does keep it simple, as he did Thursday night. If McAvoy can continue playing that way, the Bruins would be much better off.
Bubble mode activated: Charlie McAvoy elevating his game for Bruins
Having a reliable defender on his left side, like Nikita Zadorov, also helps. McAvoy doesn't try to do as much when he has another above-average defender beside him. While I am a bit skeptical about whether the Bruins should trade a first-round pick for Rasmus Andersson, it does intrigue me to wonder how much better McAvoy would be if he had a great right-shot defender behind him to help lessen the load even more.
"“I think so, I really do. He’s playing outstanding. Even off the ice, I feel like he’s growing as a leader, too. He does a lot of the right things, takes care of himself, too. He’s in a good spot right now.”"Marco Sturm
The Bruins need the defender playing as he did Thursday night to have any chance of competing for the playoffs. It has been a solid week for Boston's defense, allowing just five goals over the recent five-game winning streak. McAvoy as the defense's anchor isn't lost on head coach Marco Sturm, who also values the defender's leadership, which is interesting in the conversation about who the next captain will be.