Charlie McAvoy is suspended six games and the Maple Leafs just got a real gift heading into next season
Photo credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Charlie McAvoy won't appear for the Boston Bruins next year for at least six games after being suspended and just handed Toronto a gift for the 2026-27 season.
The Boston Bruins were eliminated by the Buffalo Sabres in the first round of the 2026 Playoffs and it put and end to a strong turnaround season that ended in a pretty disappointing fashion.
Though they have a lot to be proud of, the Bruins are also heading into next year with a lot of questions about whether or not they can replicate this performance. Well if they are looking to do so, they will have to without arguably the anchor of their ship.
McAvoy's six game ban puts Bruins in an unenviable position to start 2026-27
Veteran defender Charlie McAvoy was suspended six games for his slash on Buffalo's Zach Benson and occurred May 1st when McAvoy was taken down by Benson before crashing into the boards. Taking umbrage with that, McAvoy took a baseball swing at Benson and clocked him in the upper body area:
McAvoy, 28, had two assists in six games with the Bruins this postseason, and his suspension is nothing out of the ordinary. He was suspended in 2019 for an illegal check to Josh Anderson, then in 2023 for a separate incident.
Make this a trio of infractions for McAvoy, who also has dealt with some serious injury concerns over the last two years, and his frustration may have boiled over after being dominated by the Sabres.
But this leaves Boston without one of their top players to start next season, and that can only be good news for teams in the Atlantic - more specifically the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Toronto needs to capitalize on any chance to pull ahead of Boston in 2026-27
Call it a bit exploitative but when this is a game of inches and points; losing a player like McAvoy is huge for the Maple Leafs.
There is no word yet on the 2026-27 schedule and how those 84-games are going to be spread out, but if the Maple Leafs don't capitalize on the Bruins' misfortune then it's a waste. Even if they aren't playing the Bruins the first six games, they can't get complacent and need to start off hot.
They don't need to go 6-0-0 (though that would be awesome) but putting in strong defensive efforts, winning tough games, and giving themselves every advantage they can early on will only benefit them.
If Toronto goes 4-1-1, that's nine points in six games; not bad. Boston has the potential to lose the majority of their games, and if they go 1-5-0 or even 2-2-2 that only leaves them with either two or six points.
It may not seem like much but with two extra games coming into the fold this season, the Maple Leafs need to take every little boost they can and a Bruins team without McAvoy is an objectively worse one overall.
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