NHL Rumors: Boston Bruins and Charlie McAvoy seek long-term deal
According to the latest NHL rumors, the Boston Bruins have begun discussing an extension with young defenseman Charlie McAvoy.
The Boston Bruins are off to a strong start this season. After suffering a 7-0 loss to the Washington Capitals on Opening Night, the Bruins have gone 4-1-2. This is largely due to an impressive roster, led by players such as Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and David Pastrnak. Defenseman Charlie McAvoy is often overlooked. And, according to the latest NHL rumors, both the Bruins and McAvoy want a long-term deal.
On Sportsnet on Saturday, Nick Kypreos talked about the rumor. McAvoy doesn’t seem interested in a bridge deal, so a long-term deal seems far more likely. He is scheduled to become a restricted free agent for the first time after the 2018-19 season. Because of this, McAvoy is not eligible to sign an extension until Jan. 1, 2019.
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So far, the 14th overall pick of the 2016 NHL Draft has emerged as a leader of the Bruins blue line. McAvoy gained the trust of Bruce Cassidy early, averaging over 22 minutes of ice time per game during his rookie season (2017-18). In 63 games, he put up 32 points (seven goals and 25 assists).
Also, he finished in fifth place in the Calder Trophy voting. Which, considering the impressive 2017-18 rookie class, it’s pretty impressive.
McAvoy averaged 24 minutes per game during the 2017-18 Stanley Cup Playoffs, putting up five points in 12 games. Additionally, he averaged over 26 minutes per game during the 2016-17 postseason, during which he played his first six NHL games.
Through seven games in the 2018-19 season, McAvoy has six points (one goal and five assists) while averaging over 20 minutes per game. He’s been playing mostly with Zdeno Chara, who has a history of making his defensive partners look better. However, McAvoy is different, as he’s shown to be great in transition as a mobile defenseman.
Expect a long-term deal to be worked out. It should be interesting to see the terms of the deal because there aren’t too many comparables since McAvoy would be signing a long-term extension that would go into effect immediately after his entry-level contract. The Florida Panthers signed Aaron Ekblad to a seven-year deal worth $7.5 million annually back in 2016. He currently has the eighth-highest cap hit among defensemen.
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Another comparable could be Erik Karlsson, who signed a seven-year deal worth $6.5 million annually back in the 2012 offseason. Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Dougie Hamilton ($5.75 million cap hit) is another. But other than that, there aren’t too many cases similar to McAvoy’s.
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