Charlie McAvoy Not Concerned Bruins Don’t Have Captain

Charlie McAvoy confirmed the Boston Bruins will not have a captain going into the 2025-26 season.

When head coach Marco Sturm was hired, he mentioned that he would be fine with no one wearing the “C” as the season starts. Sturm said he wants to get to know the players before making an official decision.

Almost two months later, McAvoy said that he and David Pastrnak will be handed leadership duties.

“Going into this year, we’re both going to have A’s. That’s what I know. I don’t think there’s any fire under them to do anything with that. And guess what? That’s totally fine,” McAvoy told Steve Conroy of the Boston Herald. “Me and Pasta are spending the time together, which I’ve found incredible, learning about him a little bit more, about him as a leader. Just what I’ll say on that front is I love that we’re going to be able to take this on together. And regardless of letters, we know that this is our team, me and him. And for however many years we get to be here, it’s going to be us two, along with a lot of other guys, right? But this is our baby now, me and him, and there’s nobody else that I’d rather do it with, and I know we’re going to make each other better, on and off the ice.”

The 27-year-old missed part of the 2024-25 season due to a shoulder injury and infection. With McAvoy missing part of the season, Pastrnak took on an even bigger leadership role.

Heading into the new season, the two are making sure to talk about how to bring the team together. The Bruins have added a number of players to the team during the offseason while also keeping young and veteran players around.

“We’ve talked a lot about the group, ideas of how we can make this group come together as quickly as possible,” McAvoy said. “That’s been the biggest thing right now from a leadership perspective, some of the tendencies he has as far as meetings and messaging and stuff like that. That’s been the biggest thing. We’re really focusing on how we can make this team a cohesive group right from the get-go.”