Stanley Cup Playoffs proved Bruins' main core starts and ends with these two players

The Boston Bruins core since Brad Marchand left has always been about the big three of Jeremy Swayman, David Pastrnak, and Charlie McAvoy. Pastrnak was a proven superstar on point output alone and was going to cement his spot in the core regardless. Swayman and McAvoy were a bit more questionable, but with the contract that Don Sweeney handed out to the goaltender at the beginning of last season, it wasn't like he was going anywhere.

McAvoy has four years remaining on a $9.5 million annual contract that has a full no-move clause. If he doesn't want to go anywhere, he doesn't have to either, and it's extremely doubtful that the Bruins would consider trading a defenseman like him. However, after the way he played in the playoffs, one has to wonder what kind of defenseman he really is.

The Bruins, most of the time, are a better team with McAvoy in the lineup. He has some qualities in his game that can put him in the Norris Trophy conversation, and having to carry the weight of Jonathan Aspirot all season may have finally crumbled McAvoy during the postseason. The six games against the Buffalo Sabres were far from his best hockey, and he does have a history of trying to do too much in the postseason, which gets him into trouble.

Charlie McAvoy's playoff struggles

The right-shot defender has the same problems in the regular season, but they are fewer and farther between. When the pressure ratchets up for some players in the playoffs, they get more focused and try to stay within themselves, but McAvoy's chaotic energy has hurt the Bruins more than helped them. His entire playoff career has been running around after hits, pinching when he shouldn't, and getting caught trying to push for too much offense.

Game 6 was an example of that. When the Bruins needed their best defenseman to be a steady presence, he over-committed and went outside of Marco Sturm's structure to try to make a play, which led to Alex Tuch scoring the game's first goal.

Then, he miscommunicated with Pastrnak on the third goal, and it seemed like he waited for Josh Doan to get the puck just so he could drive his head into the boards, but before he had the chance to finish that hit, the puck was in the slot and in the back of the net.

Finally, the end of the game, where he made the decision to two-hand Zach Benson after the Sabres forward made a dangerous slew-foot play near the boards. McAvoy was rightfully upset, but he let his emotions get the best of him and slashed Benson with a vicious two-hander, which now landed him an in-person hearing with player safety and a likely 6+ game suspension.

This is far from a piece advocating for a McAvoy trade, and if you extend beyond Swayman and Pastrnak, McAvoy is definitely a part of that extension of a core. However, if things really go south for the Bruins this summer and they consider tearing it down to get more assets, you'd have to consider McAvoy as a player who can land you a ton without giving up the two players who actually step up every year in the playoffs.

The Bruins entered this season with three untouchables on their roster, but after seeing who was there for the team when it mattered most, I think that list should be down to two. In a way, trading McAvoy makes the Bruins' defense so much worse, but when you really think about it, how much worse could they actually be?

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