By: Chad Jones | Follow me on Twitter/X @ShutUpChadJones
Coming into this season, one of the biggest storylines for the Boston Bruins was how Charlie McAvoy would respond from a disappointing 2025 campaign. The defenseman suffered a right shoulder injury during the 4 Nations-Face-Off last February. A subsequent infection cemented a longer recovery timeframe, and McAvoy’s season was over after 50 games.
With Marco Sturm entering his first year as the Bruins’ head coach, Boston was going to have to rely on the organization’s veterans to establish the locker room culture and implement the new system. Ten games into the season, McAvoy has not had the start to the year Bruins fans had hoped for.
He has six assists, two of which came on the power play, but has not yet scored a goal. McAvoy’s plus/minus is minus five. Plus/minus can be misleading at times, especially over a short sample size. But it is concerning how often McAvoy has been on the ice for goals against.
In Boston’s Saturday home tilt against the Colorado Avalanche, Sturm mixed up the defense combinations and bumped Nikita Zadorov to skate with McAvoy on the first pairing. But on Colorado’s first goal, both McAvoy and Zadorov overcommitted towards Nathan MacKinnon below the goal line, leaving Artturi Lehkonen alone in the slot. The forward promptly ripped an attempt past Jeremy Swayman.
McAvoy was again on the ice when the Avalanche potted a six-on-five goal late in the third period. While Boston held on to secure the win, the defenseman finished the game with a minus two.
While neither goal was entirely McAvoy’s fault, they are indicative of a bigger problem for Boston. Too often this season, he has consistently not been able to communicate properly with his defense partner and has allowed opponents easy access to prime scoring areas.
The first Avalanche score was a prime example of this problem. McAvoy and Zadorov could not decipher who should gravitate towards MacKinnon and who should deter Lehkonen from getting off a shot in the slot.
While Zadorov left the middle of the ice vulnerable, the bottom line is that these defensive breakdowns happen far too frequently with McAvoy on the ice. Earlier this week, when Boston hosted the Anaheim Ducks, McAvoy was a minus two for the game despite corralling two assists.
After Morgan Geekie tied the game late in the third, McAvoy and Mason Lohrei were on the ice trying to keep the momentum in Boston’s favor. But after the puck bounced off the boards, McAvoy and Lohrei could not sort out the coverage. Troy Terry found himself all alone in front and buried the eventual game-winning goal.
As the Bruins’ number one defenseman, McAvoy needs to take strides to avoid having these breakdowns consistently happen. Too often this season, he has been on the ice for critical goals against.
Boston cannot afford such loose coverage in their own zone when their number one defenseman is on the ice. McAvoy must be more sturdy and detail-oriented in his own zone, especially when protecting a late lead or trying to keep the momentum in the Bruins’ favor.
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