Boston Bruins: Please appreciate Charlie McAvoy

Boston Bruins fans seem to give Charlie McAvoy a hard time but he is one of the best defensemen in the NHL.

People love to harp on Charlie McAvoy. They complain about his injury history or his lack of goal scoring at times. The Boston Bruins defensemen doesn’t seem to get the love that he deserves.

McAvoy seems like a player who is perfect for Boston. He is a two-way defensemen who can deliver some big hits and also has a wicked slap shot.

So far McAvoy has had a consistent career. This season he appeared in the most games of his career and tied his career high in points. In the 2019-20 season, McAvoy had 5 goals and 27 assists.

People were killing McAvoy because he failed to score a goal until February, but he was doing so much more. He is a key piece of Boston’s power play and was getting involved with all of his assists. By the time he scored a goal he already had 18 assists.

McAvoy is also a great defender. Unlike guys like Torey Krug and Matt Grzelcyk, McAvoy can help clear the crease and ensure that Tuukka Rask has a clear view of incoming shots.

This graph from Bryce Chevailler really shows the depth of McAvoy’s skills (also notice he is rated the 3rd best defensemen in the league).

McAvoy is the future of the Bruins defense. when Zdeno Chara retires, Boston will need to find someone to pair with McAvoy. It’s hard to imagine him moving down.

When the season restarts, McAvoy will be a key player for the team.  It’s hard to know what we will get from Chara. Everyone loves big Z, but after such a long layoff it’s hard to expect that he will be his usual dominant self. McAvoy and Krug will help determine how far the B’s go.

So it’s time for Bruins fans to get behind McAvoy and give him the support he deserves.