NHL coaches, especially at this point of the season, normally don't like to talk about individual players. It doesn't matter if it's players on their own team or the opposition, coaches prefer to focus on the team concept. However, when there's a player who's exciting to watch and makes a positive impact in the league, hockey personnel will sing his praise.
Enter Charlie McAvoy.
The 20-year-old defenseman for the Boston Bruins has produced an impressive rookie season. No one is really surprised by his contributions, but players and coaches around the league now understand the impact he's having in Boston and his future potential. During Saturday's 2-1 overtime win against the Montreal Canadiens, McAvoy suffered a lower-body injury only 37 seconds into the game and did not return. He will be re-evaluated on Monday, but if he's sidelined for any length of time it doesn't bode well for the Bruins.
Pittsburgh Penguins coach Mike Sullivan has been impressed with McAvoy both on and off the ice. Maybe it's because they're both former Boston University Terriers.
"He has done a terrific job for them. He is one of the bright, young defensemen in the league," Sullivan said. "He has had a great year for them. He brings another dimension to their blue line. He makes a very good first pass; he is a mobile guy, joins the rush. He has good size. He is hard to play against. He is a good, solid two-way defenseman, and for a guy that is as young as he is, to make the impact that he has on this team speaks volumes of how good a player he is."
Canadiens coach Claude Julien's tenure behind the bench in Boston ended before McAvoy turned pro, but the Stanley Cup-winning coach understands the impact the rookie is having in Boston.
"He's been a big piece to that back end. We're all looking for defensemen that can skate and move the puck well and that's been the trend as of late," Julien said. "He's big. He's strong. He skates well. He can carry the puck out of his own end, so he's been a good addition to that group that was already solid defensively. It takes a lot of pressure off a guy like Torey Krug to always be the guy to carry the puck up the ice. They've found some good balance. Even (Matt) Grzelcyk has been a good addition for this team. That kind of balance is something we're trying to have with our team, but definitely a guy like McAvoy has had an impact early in his career."
At the start of the season, many compared McAvoy to Hall of Famer Ray Bourque. They are in different categories. As good as McAvoy is and will be, he's not Bourque. It's better that McAvoy is his own man and a different player. It's unfair to be compared to one of the greatest defensemen in the game, but no doubt McAvoy has the ability to one day find himself in that category.
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It's been a week since the Bruins acquired Rick Nash from the New York Rangers. He's played four games and already has made a significant impact on the line with David Krejci and Jake DeBrusk. Both Sullivan and Julien have a history with Nash and both Stanley Cup-winning coaches understand the contributions he will make in Boston as this team prepares for the playoffs.
Sullivan was an assistant coach with the Rangers and worked with Nash in New York.
"They get a very good power forward. He’s as good a one-on-one player as there is in the game. He is hard to handle," Sullivan said. "He protects pucks extremely well, and he’s another one of those guys that can play both ends of the rink. He kills penalties. He is good defensively, so they can use him in so many different ways, but they’re getting a very good power forward."