Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy hasn’t seen game action since injuring his right shoulder during February’s 4-Nations Face-Off, where he suffered damage to the AC joint. Complications arose when the injury became infected, leading to a procedure to clean out the area through irrigation and debridement.
The setback ultimately ended McAvoy’s season, but despite surgery and a lengthy recovery, the Bruins’ top blue-liner says he’s on track for the 2025-26 opener. Speaking to Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald, McAvoy said:
“My summer plan was all about getting better — getting healthy and reaching the level I know I’m capable of heading into the season. Since then, it’s been nothing but progress. I’ve checked off a lot of boxes off the ice, and now I’m ramping up on the ice. I feel great. Mentally, I’m really excited about this year.”
Before the injury, McAvoy posted seven goals and 23 points in 50 NHL games, with no points in his two appearances at the international tournament. The Bruins, meanwhile, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 — before McAvoy joined the roster. He admitted it was tough watching the postseason from the sidelines for the first time in his NHL career but acknowledged the extra recovery time as a small silver lining.
Had the Bruins made the playoffs, it’s likely McAvoy would’ve made a strong push to return. He’s been the team’s reliable No. 1 defenseman since the 2018-19 season, taking over that role as Zdeno Chara began to wind down his career. Since then, McAvoy has averaged more than 22 minutes of ice time per game each year and has consistently led the team in minutes since 2018-19.
He’s also produced offensively, hitting a career-high 10 goals and 56 points in 2021-22, followed by 52 points in just 67 games the next season. In 2023-24, he notched 12 goals and 47 points, while averaging nearly 25 minutes a night.
Though his scoring pace slowed this past season, McAvoy reached a significant milestone with his 300th NHL point — making him the third-fastest defenseman in Bruins history to do so, behind only Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque.
That historic company will serve as motivation for McAvoy heading into next season. He confirmed to Conroy that he’ll return as an assistant captain alongside David Pastrnak.
The 2025-26 campaign will mark the fourth year of the eight-year contract extension McAvoy signed in 2021. So far, he’s totaled 122 points in 191 games under the deal, which averages out to 52 points per full season — a benchmark he’ll look to raise as he enters his prime at age 27.
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