McAvoy in deep trouble and the suspension is only the beginning
Charlie McAvoy is paying for it now. The Boston Bruins defenseman will forfeit a little more than 300 thousand in salary for his suspension, per Chris Johnston of Sportsnet.
That's not a small fine. That's a real chunk out of a paycheck, and it comes on top of an early playoff exit for the Bruins.
The 28-year-old blueliner carries a 9.5 million cap hit. The math on his daily salary is how the league lands at this kind of forfeiture figure.
Boston's first round didn't go the way anyone in that locker room wanted. The Bruins lost to the Buffalo Sabres in 6 games, with the series ending on home ice.
McAvoy's own line in that series tells the story.
The American defender finished at minus-6 with 2 assists across the 6 playoff games. His usual all-situations role didn't produce the all-situations results.
The contrast with the regular season is sharp. McAvoy had 61 points in 69 games during the year, including 50 assists and a plus-13 rating.
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Sweeney and Sturm carry the McAvoy file into a quiet offseason
Don Sweeney has a long summer in front of him. The Bruins finished 8th overall in the regular season at 100 points, but the early exit changes the tone of every roster decision.
Marco Sturm's first year behind the bench ended in 6 games.
The new head coach inherited a team that limped through stretches of the regular season at 5-3-2 across its final 10.
McAvoy's suspension dollars are pocket change compared to the bigger questions.
Boston's blue line is still anchored by his minutes, his power play time, his right-shot game. The 21 power play assists during the regular season were the foundation of the man advantage.
But the league has now docked him real money.
Charlie McAvoy has officially been suspended for six games to begin next season following his slash on Zach Benson, according to NHL Department of Player Safety.
The ruling immediately sparked debate across the hockey world, with some believing the punishment is justified given the nature of the play, while others feel the league may have gone too far.
The suspension is still subject to a potential appeal, but as it stands, Boston could be without one of its most important defensemen right out of the gate next season.
That's the kind of thing Sturm has to plan for now.
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MAY 12, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Tage Thompson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Josh Doan | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Cutter Gauthier | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mason McTavish | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Zach Benson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Pavel Dorofeyev | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Alex Newhook | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mattias Samuelsson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Beckett Sennecke | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Olen Zellweger | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Dahlin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ivan Demidov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jack Eichel | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jake Evans | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Lane Hutson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Norris | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Brandon Saad | - | 1 | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||