Bruins Charlie McAvoy Could Be Back In Time For Olympics After Taking Brutal Slapshot To The Face
McAvoy is one of six players already named to Team USA
Boston Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy was one of the first players named to the Team USA roster for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo; however, earlier this week, his status came into question.
The reason? How does a slap shot straight to the kisser sound?
Last Saturday, the Bruins were in Montreal taking on the Canadiens, and McAvoy caught a slap shot from Habs blueliner Noah Dobson up high.
And it was ugly.
McAvoy has always been a big part of the Bruins' defense, and will be missed as the B's find themselves closer to the top of the Atlantic Division than many expected.
But he is also going to be a key piece of the Team USA blue line.
READ: NHL STARS FORCED TO WEAR NECK GUARDS AT 2026 WINTER OLYMPICS UNDER IIHF MANDATE
Bruins head coach Marco Sturm didn't indicate a timetable for McAvoy's return, and that could make fans a little nervous about the prospect of the Americans being down a top-pair D-man in Italy.
However, there was something of a positive update from ESPN's Emily Kaplan, who reported that the expectation is for McAvoy to be Olympics-ready.
That bodes well, and hopefully McAvoy is on the mend and will be ready in time for the tournament, which starts in mid-February.
The 27-year-old was a big piece of Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but he was forced out of that tournament early with an injury. According to Sportsnet, McAvoy injured his right-shoulder AC joint, but this led to an infection that also ruled him out for the rest of the Bruins' season.
Team USA will want to know McAvoy's timeline sooner rather than later as they continue to put together their Olympic roster. If, for whatever reason, he isn't ready to go, the Americans will want to make sure they have enough depth on defense.