Bruins president Cam Neely and Don Sweeney both hinted at an extension getting done with Charlie McAvoy in the near future, and they decided to cross the T’s and dot the I’s just one day before Boston opened its season.
McAvoy and the Bruins agreed to an eight-year contract extension Friday morning with an annual cap hit of $9.5 million. The total value of the deal comes out to $76 million and includes a $26.5 million signing bonus.
It’s also the biggest contract in Bruins history.
The market for defensemen this offseason saw a slew of blueliners sign big-money deals that constantly had fans wondering what kind of deal McAvoy would command. Now we know it’s the exact deal the Chicago Blackhawks’ Seth Jones received, which makes it that much better for the B’s.
McAvoy is a far better player than Jones. You don’t need the stats to tell you that when the eye test will do that for you. And when you look at other deals given to other defensemen, well, it makes McAvoy’s that much sweeter.
Let’s take a look at a few and their average annual value:
Darnell Nurse: Eight years, $9.25 million with Edmonton Oilers
Miro Heiskanen: Eight years, $8.45 million with Dallas Stars
Dougie Hamilton: Seven years, $9 million with New Jersey Devils
Zach Werenski: Six years, $9.58 million with Columbus Blue Jackets
Cale Makar: Six years, $9 million with Colorado Avalanche
For someone of McAvoy’s caliber, some may call this an underpay, but the Bruins locked up one of the league’s top defenseman through his prime on a deal that is incredibly beneficial for both sides.
What makes this deal even sweeter is that McAvoy’s stock probably would have skyrocketed had the Bruins not gotten something done before the season started. The 23-year-old likely will be on the first power play unit, which only will cause his production to go up from years past.
McAvoy arguably is the best two-way defenseman in the NHL during five-on-five action and is criminally underrated. (Some of that likely has to do with his lack of production on the power play.) The way he drives play on both ends of the ice is unmatched, and has begun to put him in the Norris Trophy conversation.
At the end of the day, McAvoy is crucial to this Bruins’ lineup. His size helps him defend with ease in tough situations and his puck-moving ability will help Boston be a threat on the score sheet. That’s why the Bruins locking him up — at a rate that made sense for both sides — was paramount.
