McAvoy on His Return, Readiness and Bruins Road Trip, ‘I’m Really Excited’

SAN JOSE –– Charlie McAvoy had an extra pep in his step on Monday.

The defenseman has been skating with the team all season, but this practice at SAP Center was different. McAvoy was finally preparing to play in a game; he has sat out of the first six matchups of the year due to a suspension.

“He let the other guys be first on every drill – usually he is the first guy. He stepped back. He wanted the guys who were playing every night to feel good. That’s just him,” head coach Marco Sturm said of how McAvoy handled the time away. “Today was totally different; he’s back to normal. It was definitely a good practice and good energy today. He was probably the biggest reason.”

Tuesday’s 11 p.m. ET puck drop against the San Jose Sharks will mark McAvoy’s season debut. He was on the first pair with Hampus Lindholm during Monday’s skate.

“I’m really excited to be back. The guys have been doing a great job, so I’m really excited to just rejoin a team that’s starting to find their stride and playing really good,” McAvoy said. “I’ve played with Hammer before. Truly, I think I’ve played with everybody before…No matter who I am with, my job always stays the same: to be the absolute best that I can be and try to elevate my partner.”

McAvoy posted a career-high showing last year with 61 points (11 goals, 50 assists) all while battling through injury adversity. Once settled into the pace of play, McAvoy will continue to look for those offensive opportunities.

“Going to try to get involved; I love that side of the game. Try to do it responsibly, and I know that [Lindholm] can do the same when the time is right,” McAvoy said. “He does open that up for me, being so good defensively, as he is. He likes to go sometimes, too. We will take care of each other.”

The Bruins have put together a 4-2-0 record without McAvoy in the lineup. His teammates on the backend stepped up to fill the void and took care of the power play, too. McAvoy returned to his quarterback position on the first unit on Monday – alongside Morgan Geekie, Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha and David Pastrnak.

“I think we’ve done a really good job without him, but also, we know we are better with him. It’s nice to have him back,” Sturm said. “He’s been really excited; he’s been looking forward to it for a long, long time.”

Tuesday opens a four-game road trip for the B’s – one which McAvoy wants to have a productive impact on. The alternate captain has prepared as much as he can while not playing, and is more than ready to get going.

“I think we tried to make the most of it. I feel like in this time, our lifting was a bit of an extension of summer training; not having to be worried about being sore. It was a longer summer in that aspect for me. I feel really strong. I feel really good with where my body is at,” McAvoy said. “Conditioning is tough; we work really hard on the ice, and you stay out after and do all those bag skates and stuff, but really nothing can replace the game. So tomorrow, I know I’ll be keeping my shifts short and trying to get in and acclimate pretty quick.”