Boston Bruins
Charlie McAvoy Receives Tough Love From Bruins Legend: “Sometimes He Tries To Do Too Much”
It was a rough end of the season for Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
A heavy amount of the blame fell on McAvoy’s shoulders after the Bruins were eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, where he bore more of a resemblance to dead weight rather than an anchor on the blue line.
Production on offense was scarce, and missteps on defense were abundant from McAvoy against the Florida Panthers as the Bruins were outscored 7-4 and outshot 122-98 with him on the ice at five-on-five during the six-game series, according to Natural Stat Trick.
The criticism may be harsh, but it comes with the territory of being the team’s top defenseman while wearing an ‘A’ on your chest and being paid $9.5 million annually.
Perhaps no one understands that better than 2004 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee and legendary Bruins defenseman Ray Bourque, who handed out some tough love to McAvoy in a recent appearance on The Sick Podcast-The Eye Test with Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy.
“I think the ceiling is unlimited for him, and that’s part of the problem,” said Bourque. “He’s so talented in all areas. I think sometimes he tries to do too much because he cares so much. Sometimes, less would be more.”
šØNew episodešØ
The legendary Ray Bourque joins Pierre McGuire and @MurphysLaw74 to discuss:
ā«ļøHis career
ā«ļøThe Stanley Cup Finals
ā«ļøCharlie McAvoy
ā«ļøAnd much more!Full podš
Watch: https://t.co/1okth1UASI
Listen: https://t.co/ex4jkzUxC1#NHLBruins #GoAvsGo #thesickpodcast pic.twitter.com/a44tvDTxJp— The Sick Podcast – The Eye Test (@sickpodnhl) June 13, 2024
It’d be difficult for McAvoy to do anymore at this rate. He’s led the Bruins in average time on ice in five out of the last six seasons and did so once again this year, playing a career-high 24:51 per night. That consistency is just part of the reason why Bourque is singing McAvoy’s praises.
“I’d take him on my team any day,” Bourque said. “He’s an amazing talent and a great kid. He works hard, and he cares. Playing that position now is not easy. They had to go through Florida, a team that makes it really hard on you as a defenseman. They don’t give you much time and much space. I’m not worried about Charlie. He just keeps getting better and better.”
One area of McAvoy’s game that Borque highlighted for improvement was the power play. Although there is a certain level of offense to his game, McAvoy hasn’t proven to be a proficient puck mover, at least not to this point in his career. Boston’s man advantage ranked just above league average in 2023-24, operating at 22.2%, with McAvoy quarterbacking the top unit.
“At times, he needs to take charge on the powerplay,” said Bourque. “[The Bruins] have David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand, and these [other] guys, they differ too much. I’d like him to take charge just a little more on the power play and establish that shot that he has because it’s a great one.”
As for the Bruins as a whole, they impressed Bourque and even surpassed his expectations during the season.
“I think they overachieved during the regular season,” Bourque said. “I saw them kind of fighting for a playoff spot and getting in there, but not fighting for the President’s Trophy like they were pretty much all year. Credit to those guys, the coaching staff and management for getting some character guys in there. I’m excited for what’s coming for them next year.”
Next year for the Bruins will largely hinge on what the team’s front office is able to accomplish this summer. With $23.86 million of cap space at his disposal, general manager Don Sweeney has the opportunity to set up McAvoy and the rest of the Bruins roster for the next generation.
“I’m excited about the Bruins,” said Bourque. “They finally have some money, going forward. They need to improve, they need to sign some people and I think they will. Depth-wise, I think it was tough for them this year to kind of get through Florida. They gave it a good run, but I really see them, next year, being a better team than they’ve been.”
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