There were a handful of questions facing the Boston Bruins entering the 2026-27 season. One of them was how they were going to survive the first six games without defenseman Charlie McAvoy. He was suspended last spring for the first six games of the season for his slash at Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson at the end of their first-round playoff series.
Well, the Black and Gold survived it by going 4-2-0 against a rather difficult stretch. The Bruins will get McAvoy back into the lineup on Tuesday night when they visit the San Jose Sharks to kick off a four-game road trip. Second-year head coach Marco Sturm was glad to have his top blueliner back.
Marco Sturm has a blunt take on the return of Charlie McAvoy
“He let the other guys be first on every drill – usually he is the first guy. He stepped back. He wanted the guys who were playing every night to feel good. That’s just him,” Sturm said, per Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. “Today was totally different; he’s back to normal. It was definitely a good practice and good energy today. He was probably the biggest reason.”
McAvoy was paired with Hampus Lindholm on the top pair, which was interesting. Based on the practice lines, it appears that veteran Connor Clifton will be the odd man out on Tuesday night. As for MvAvoy, don't expect much to change from the way he's played in the past.
“Going to try to get involved; I love that side of the game. Try to do it responsibly, and I know that [Lindholm] can do the same when the time is right,” McAvoy said per Fraser. “He does open that up for me, being so good defensively, as he is. He likes to go sometimes, too. We will take care of each other.”
A friendly reminder that if you're on the East Coast, the scheduled start time is 11 p.m. EST, as it is the Frozen Frenzy night of the season, where games start at 6 p.m. EST, with the Bruins and Sharks being the last puck to drop.
If we're being honest, it is a little surprising that Sturm is heading toward sitting a veteran first over one of the younger defensemen, Mason Lohrei or Frederic Brunet. However, that is a good sign if they stick together for another game, as they have been good together. If there is someone who could be Will Borgen. As well as he's played at times, he's spent way too much time in the penalty box through the first four games.
That's something worth watching in the remaining games on the trip against the Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, and Dallas Stars.
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