Charlie McAvoy will miss the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off—and the Boston Bruins aren’t happy about it. According to top NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, Boston is “extremely unhappy” with how the situation has been handled.
The Bruins are in a precarious position in the NHL standings. They desperately need a strong final stretch of the regular season to clinch a playoff spot, and now it looks like they’ll have to do it without star defenseman Charlie McAvoy for the foreseeable future.
It was announced Wednesday that McAvoy remains hospitalized after undergoing a procedure to treat an infection in his right shoulder. He has also suffered a “significant” AC joint injury. Reports indicate McAvoy is “week to week” after sustaining the injuries in Team USA’s opening game of the 4 Nations Face-Off against Finland.
Anger over decision on Charlie McAvoy
Many believe the Bruins’ official statement hinted at frustration with Team USA’s handling of McAvoy’s injury, potentially contributing to the infection that will now sideline him. Elliotte Friedman confirmed those suspicions. Speaking on Sportsnet 590 The Fan, Friedman said the Bruins are “extremely unhappy” with how Team USA managed the situation.
“I think the people who are the angriest are the Bruins,” Friedman said. “If you read their statement today, they make it very clear that they are unhappy with how this all went down, that they don’t feel their player received the proper treatment.
“It seems McAvoy was originally injured in the opener against Finland. There’s a play where Joel Armia takes him hard into the post. And it sounds like— I don’t know if he got a shot or something, I don’t know exactly what happened—but he played Saturday with an injury far more severe than initially believed, which makes his performance all the more impressive.”
Boston ”extremely unhappy”
McAvoy played in Team USA’s second group-stage game, dominating against Canada. But by Monday, his condition worsened.
“From what I understand, on Monday he was in more pain and was admitted to the hospital, where they realized the injury was more severe than originally diagnosed,” Friedman explained. “And number two, there was an infection that required surgery. I don’t know if he was given a needle or shot that led to the infection, but it was something along those lines.
“I remember yesterday when it was the Bruins—not Team USA—who announced that McAvoy was out. People were asking, ‘Why are the Bruins, whose GM is also the GM of Team Canada, making this announcement?’ And then it became clear: the Bruins were extremely unhappy with how this was handled. They felt McAvoy didn’t receive the proper care.”
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