Feb 8, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy (73) against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Bruins Defenseman Ready After Injury-Filled Season

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Jacob Punturi | Last updated Aug 28, 2025 9:00 AM ET

Last season didn’t go quite as planned for Boston Bruins superstar Charlie McAvoy. The top defenseman in Boston suffered an injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off, keeping him out of action for the team’s final 25 games of the season. The Bruins struggled, missed the playoffs, fired their head coach and hired Marco Sturm as replacement, and now the entire organization is eager to put the 2024-2025 campaign behind them.

For McAvoy, this about getting back to his game with the Bruins. An injury to his AC joint suffered at the 4 Nations Face-Off developed into an infection. The injury was one of the unluckiest to occur for an NHL player, but heading into the 2025-2026 campaign McAvoy is ready to put it all behind him. Back to 100% health, he’s put in a long summer of training and work to prepare for the upcoming campaign.

“It was a long summer, but in a lot of ways it was beneficial," he told NHL.com. “A chance to have a lot of months, to put in a lot of work, which is nice, something that I haven't really had since we have always been a playoff team.”

The Bruins are in a fight to return to the postseason and reestablish their winning ways, and that is McAvoy’s focus as well. The team made the playoffs each of McAvoy’s first seven seasons with the team, but that all changed last year. Without their best defender available down the stretch, the Bruins had no shot at sneaking into the playoffs in the Eastern Conference. It’s something McAvoy doesn’t want to experience again, and the entire organization is aligned in getting back on track.

“It's different, really, from any year that I've had, because we don't miss the playoffs," he said. "We're trying to reestablish our culture, which we feel like maybe slipped a little bit. Obviously, you're going through a coaching change, so we have a bunch of different things that we're trying to bring in, but the way that we all see it is what an incredible opportunity.”

The 27-year-old has been one of the best two-way defensemen in the NHL since entering the league. Last year, he still managed 23 points despite playing in just 50 games before his injury. In his career, he’s surpassed the 30-point mark six times, the 45-point mark three times, and the 50-point threshold twice. In 504 career games, he’s recorded 60 goals and 240 assists for 300 points.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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