Boston Bruins and Charlie McAvoy agree to 3 year extension

After lengthy discussions, the Boston Bruins and Charlie McAvoy have agreed to a bridge deal.

The Boston Bruins answered one of the team’s most important questions as we head into the new season. Boston and defenseman Charlie McAvoy agreed to a three-year extension. According to Bob McKenzie, the deal has an average annual value of $4.9 million.

The McAvoy extension looks similar to Zack Werenski’s new deal with Columbus. Like Werenski, he signed a three-year bridge deal that sets him up for a bigger payday with his next deal.

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McAvoy’s extension, however, is a bit different than Werenski’s. He, unlike Werenski, was a 10.2(c) restricted free agent because he didn’t play enough games to qualify as a regular RFA. He burned the first year of his deal in 2017.

As a 10.2(c) RFA, McAvoy couldn’t be an unrestricted free agent until four years; Werenski gets there in three. Also, McAvoy has arbitration rights in two years instead of one. Add to this the fact that McAvoy was not eligible to sign an offer sheet with any other team.

McAvoy’s situation was similar to Johnny Gaudreau’s in 2016. He didn’t have as much leverage with Boston as Werenski did with Columbus.

Nonetheless, McAvoy’s contract is considered a win-win. He gets some security with $14.7 million over the next three years. Plus, McKenzie notes that McAvoy has lockout protection with signing bonuses in his first two years.

He has no signing bonus in year three, but his salary will be $7.3 million. Boston will, therefore, have to qualify him at that salary. What this means is that McAvoy is set up for a massive extension in with Boston in a few years.

For the Bruins, they get one of their top players signed and under team control for the next three years. McAvoy, Boston’s first-round pick in 2016, emerged as the team’s best defenseman last season. He battled injuries and only played 54 games, but he led the team in average time on ice with 22:10.

McAvoy also was a force in the postseason. He averaged over 24 minutes per game and played on the first pairing with Zdeno Chara.

Boston did well to sign McAvoy at a reasonable cap hit. $4.9 million is definitely worth everything McAvoy brings to the table. This was important for the Bruins because the team starts the season without much cap space.

What’s next? McAvoy will join his teammates at Bruins training camp this week. Boston starts its preseason tomorrow against the Devils.

The Bruins now turn their attention to another RFA defenseman: Brandon Carlo. Carlo isn’t a 10.2(c) restricted free agent, so he has a little more leverage than McAvoy did. Carlo, however, isn’t an all-around star like McAvoy. Look for Carlo to sign an extension with a similar term but a lower cap hit.