Will Bruins’ Positive Trend Lead To Charlie McAvoy Winning Norris Trophy?

Charlie Mcavoy is boosting the Boston Bruins’ offense and he might earn Norris Trophy consideration because of this added punch.

ESPN’s Emily Kaplan on Wednesday identified the Boston Bruins defenseman’s point production as an encouraging trend in the team’s season to date. McAvoy has registered at least one point in 11 of his 19 games this season, and the Bruins have won nine of the outings in which his name appears on the scoresheet.

Kaplan believes McAvoy’s output puts him firmly in the running for the Norris Trophy, which recognizes the NHL’s top defenseman in a given season.

“Norris Trophy voters tend to skew toward defensemen with big point production,” Kaplan wrote. “So while Charlie Mcavoy’s all-around game has been fantastic, the fact he’s averaging a career-high 0.79 points per game (up from 0.48 last season) portends well for potential hardware.”

McAvoy, 23, has emerged as the lynchpin of Boston’s blueline corps, and he now has caught the attention of ESPN writers Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski, who included McAvoy on his list of potential Norris Trophy finalists Tuesday.