Bruins sign McAvoy to 8-year, $76M extension
The Boston Bruins locked up defenseman Charlie McAvoy with an eight-year contract extension that carries an average annual value of $9.5 million, the team announced Friday.
McAvoy is in the final season of a three-year contract with a $4.9-million AAV. The new pact begins in 2022-23.
McAvoy's $9.5-million AAV puts him in an eight-way tie for the 17th-highest-paid player in the league. It also ties him with Seth Jones as the fourth-highest-paid blue-liner, behind only Erik Karlsson, Drew Doughty, and Zach Werenski, per CapFriendly. It's also the richest contract in Bruins franchise history.
McAvoy finished fifth in Norris Trophy voting last season after recording 30 points (three short of setting a career high) in just 51 games. His 0.59 points per game was a personal best.
While he's yet to post the gaudy point totals some of his Norris Trophy-contending peers have, that can largely be chalked up to the fact he hasn't mastered the power play. The 23-year-old makes up for it in other ways, though. As seen below, he's excellent on the penalty kill and an elite play-driver at five-on-five.
McAvoy did flash more offensive potential in the 2021 playoffs, recording a goal and 11 assists in 11 postseason contests. He also logged heavy minutes, averaging 26:39 of ice time per game.
The Bruins selected McAvoy 14th overall at the 2016 draft.