Boston Bruins interim head coach Joe Sacco revealed the outlook of Charlie McAvoy for the remainder of the season.
Sacco confirmed that the Bruins' defenseman will not return for any of the team’s final three games, including Thursday's 2-5 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks, ruling him out along with forward Mark Kastelic.
“Just not ready to play, that’s the bottom line right now,” Sacco said. “The medical staff feels they’re not ready to play the last two games after tonight.”
McAvoy has not appeared in a game since suffering a shoulder injury and subsequent infection during the 4 Nations Face-Off on Feb. 17.
Though he returned to practice and had been skating regularly, it looks like there wasn’t enough time to clear him before the season’s end.
McAvoy spoke for the first time since his return to the ice on March 26 and described his health issue as "scary" for him and his relatives.
“The infection was moving pretty fast after that,” McAvoy told The Athletic's Fluto Shinzawa. “It got very serious, very quick. Another thing I’m trying to leave in the past, really. It was scary. It was scary on me. Scary on my family, mostly.”
Following this news, McAvoy finished the 2024-25 season with seven goals and 16 assists for 23 total points in 50 games—his lowest point total in a full NHL campaign.
The Bruins were officially eliminated from playoff contention at the start of the week and will miss the postseason for the first time since 2016.
McAvoy remains under contract through 2030 following his signing of an eight-year, $76 million deal in Oct. 202. He is expected to resume his role as one of Boston’s leaders next season without nagging issues.
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