The Bruins’ defensive core, led by Charlie McAvoy, has been a part of Boston’s spine over the previous two seasons.
McAvoy has been invaluable on and off the ice, and Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery observed the drive the 26-year-old possesses each time he steps on the ice.
“Charlie McAvoy is desirous to be and being able to be Scott Niedermayer and Scott Stevens is why he’s so precious and so gifted,” Montgomery instructed reporters on the Bruins end-of-season press convention at TD Backyard on Wednesday, per staff transcript. “That’s why I feel he can combine and match with lots of people”
The seven-year veteran scored 12 objectives and added 35 assists in 74 regular-season video games for the Bruins whereas logging a median of 24:51 minutes of ice time. He additionally registered 159 hits and 159 blocks in these contests. In Boston’s 13 postseason video games, McAvoy had six factors, 34 blocks and 53 hits whereas averaging greater than 25 minutes of ice time.
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“For fairly a very long time, the opposite staff focused Ray Bourque each goddamn evening,” Bruins normal supervisor Don Sweeney mentioned on the end-of-season press convention on Wednesday, per staff transcript. “Let’s be trustworthy, that’s what occurs within the playoffs. They know what key elements on different rosters are and so they’re going to try to assault it.”
Sweeney continued: “That’s a chance for different gamers to step ahead. Charlie embraces that chance to play in opposition to the most effective gamers and to hopefully stare them down.”
Mason Lohrei expressed the necessity to pinch himself each time he was paired with McAvoy, and the 2 complemented one another on the ice. Nonetheless, Montgomery mentioned he couldn’t affirm that the duo can be paired collectively within the upcoming season.
“So far as who’s going to be his accomplice subsequent 12 months, I feel it’s slightly untimely to be that,” Montgomery mentioned. “Whether or not it’s Lohrei, (Hampus) Lindholm, these issues will work itself out as soon as the roster is extra full coming in direction of coaching camp we’ll have a greater thought.”
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The Bruins are in a great place with their defensive core for the 2024-25 season. Barring any offseason strikes, McAvoy, Lohrei, Lindholm, Brandon Carlo, Andrew Peeke and Parker Wotherspoon are locked up with Derek Forbort, Matt Grzelcyk and Kevin Shattenkirk all unrestricted free brokers as of July 1.
