Ryan: Handed keys to top power-play unit, Charlie McAvoy poised to reach 'another level'

Be it the underlying numbers or the basic eye test, Charlie McAvoy was a tour de force on the Bruins’ blue line last season. 

And the rest of the NHL sure seemed to take notice.

Even though his baseline offensive numbers in 2021 (five goals, 30 points in 51 games) fell behind some of the most potent playmakers on the back end like Adam Fox (47 points), Kris Letang (45 points) and Cale Makar (44 points) — McAvoy’s 5v5 playdriving metrics, transition prowess and shutdown impact against top-six foes made him a compelling case for the Norris Trophy — ultimately finishing in fifth place for the annual accolade.

Not too shabby for a guy who’s still just 23 years old. 

Given his age and the steadier (albeit slower) development curve that blueliners generally find themselves on as they round out their games up at the NHL level, it’s to be expected for McAvoy to still marginally improve in all facets of his game as he continues to serve as the anchor of a revamped B’s blue line. 

But in Bruce Cassidy’s eyes, “marginal” may not be the apt term. 

McAvoy’s standing as one of the best D-men in the league has already been well-established, no doubt. But Boston’s bench boss believes there’s still another level that McAvoy has yet to reach — much to the delight of the Bruins, and the chagrin of the rest of the league.

“I do believe there's another level,” Cassidy said. “I gotta be careful, because it'll be $9-10 million (on his new deal). Donny (Sweeney) will be on me, so I gotta zip it. He's young. Like most defensemen, they don't get to their ceiling until well into their 20s, so yeah, he's got a lot of room to grow.”

So how exactly does a guy who’s already … 

• Logging heavy minutes.
• Driving 5v5 play.
• And earning (and negating) a number of top-six matchups.

Still have significant room to grow?

Quarterbacking that top power-play unit sure seems like a great place to start. 

Taking the reins of a power play usually falls in line with the multiple responsibilities bestowed to a franchise D. But given Boston’s roster and the abundance of playmaking options already present on Boston's defensive grouping, those special-teams reps weren’t a given for McAvoy, especially during his first few years in the league. 

Of course, when Torey Krug was holding court in the B’s dressing room, the keys to PP1 were in his possession, and for good reason. And when Krug headed west for St. Louis, it was Matt Grzelcyk that served as the next man up — a logical promotion given the promising production that the Charlestown native put up during 5v4 action during the stints where Krug was sidelined. 

Grzelcyk getting first dibs for PP1 also wasn’t much of a surprise, given that McAvoy’s track record on the power play was … spotty, at best.

Perhaps some of it was a byproduct of steady reps on a second power-play group with less firepower than the usual arsenal of Bergeron/Marchand/Pastrnak — but McAvoy’s numbers didn’t exactly inspire much confidence. 

Starting with the 2019-20 season, there have been 85 NHL defensemen that have logged at least 100 minutes of power-play ice time. Among that pool of blueliners, McAvoy ranked 67th overall in points per 60 minutes on the power play during that stretch. 

But something changed during the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs, with McAvoy granted a more extended look up with the top power-play unit. After posting just 6.56 power play points per 60 minutes during the regular season, McAvoy’s points rate spiked at 14.32 during the playoffs — which was tops among the 31 NHL defensemen with at least 10 minutes of power-play reps during playoff action. 

That’s a pretty starling jump, especially considering that he separated himself from the pack when compared to other lethal power-play QBs like Makar (12.4 points per 60), Victor Hedman (10.19), Jared Spurgeon (10.06), Letang (8.6) and Krug (4.83). 

“We saw it on the power play in the playoffs," Cassidy said of McAvoy. "We gave him a little more responsibility. I think he'll command more of the offensive side of things now another year in the league and still respect the defensive side. Depending on who his partner is, might give him a little free to go. So yes, I think that side of the game, we'll see more of."

McAvoy ultimately ended last year’s 11-game playoff run with 12 total points — eight of which came on the man advantage. 

McAvoy is arguably at his most effective in the O-zone when’s assertive with the puck and skating with a head of steam down to Grade-A ice — looking to find cracks in the opposition’s defense structure (much as you see below on this 5v5 set-up of a Nick Ritchie goal last year). 

But with proven weapons operating in Grade-A ice like 63-37-88, McAvoy can be a bit more conservative (albeit still effective) on the power play, with most of his points in the postseason coming off of operating up high and finding those faults in D-zone coverage by way of a crisp feed. 

(A great set-up from McAvoy below on the power play — with the defenseman shielding the puck up high from a pressuring Drake Caggiula and feeding David Krejci for the one-time bomb just seconds later).

Of course, both Grzelcyk and Mike Reilly are also poised puck-movers with experience as far as special-teams reps are concerned — but from Cassidy’s perspective, McAvoy adds an added wrinkle with his ability to hammer pucks from up high. 

“We know we can put Grizz up there and the power play functions well. Reilly, we haven't seen as much of," Cassidy said. "I'm sure we could put him up there and I think it will function well. Charlie has a little bit of the added dimension — shoots it, when he does, probably a little better and he's a right stick, which might throw some differences out there as well. 

“So ideally we'd like to get him more reps at that. I think it's good for his mindset too. He wants to be out there with that group — they all do, don't get me wrong here. But he wants to be considered a guy that should be running it, so I respect that and we'll give him every opportunity here. He earned it last year.” 

If the 2021 playoffs are a sign of things to come for both McAvoy and the Bruins — all parties stand to benefit in a major way. 

With so many moving pieces up front for Boston (which could prove to be fruitful additions, although time might be needed for lines to gel), the B’s might have to be reliant on a potent power play in the early going for consistent offensive production — with an effective McAvoy serving as the cog that was missing at times last year once Krug joined the Blues. 

And for McAvoy, an expected bump in production with consistent special-teams minutes could set himself up for quite the lucrative summer — and not just in terms of upping his odds for that elusive Norris. McAvoy was already in line to command a monster deal this summer given both the state of the market and his own individual play. But if he adds a flashy number like a 50+ point total on top of his already impressive resume? 

The Bruins are going to have to dig even deeper into their wallets in order to keep their franchise D in place. 

And he'll be worth every penny.

CAMP NOTES:

- Charlie Coyle took a major step forward in his recovery from offseason knee surgery — with the pivot shedding the red, non-contact jersey for the first time in camp and serving as a full participant in Monday's practice. "I don't like that jersey," Coyle said. "You never want to be the guy out there that no one knows how to play you - it's just awkward. You want to be like everyone else and be on the same level as everyone else and just play hockey, put everything behind you and just play, be with the guys, and get better. I was happy about it. It's good mentally, too, to just get out there and do things 100 percent and be out there with everybody."

- Coyle, who skated on a line with Nick Foligno and Cameron Hughes on Monday, hopes to get into one of Boston's five remaining preseason games before the season opens next month. Once again, Jack Studnicka skated on the de-facto second line with Taylor Hall and Craig Smith. As for last year's struggles, Coyle didn't use his lingering knee issues as an out for his drop in production. “Everyone’s playing through something, so I’m not going to sit here and say ‘I couldn’t do this, I couldn’t do that.’ If you’re out there playing, there are no excuses,” Coyle said. “You’ve got to get the job done and you’ve got to play well. … If you’re playing 100%, you’re probably not playing well out there. Everyone’s going through something, and you’ve just got to work and make it happen.”