What Charlie McAvoy’s Return Means For Bruins, Other D-Men

Getting Charlie McAvoy back in the Bruins lineup is a good thing, but the defenseman’s return also means Boston will have to do some work with the salary cap.

The Bruins on Wednesday placed Mike Reilly on waivers for the purpose of an AHL assignment. If he gets claimed (which wouldn’t be known until 2 p.m. ET on Thursday), Boston will be cap compliant when it officially activates McAvoy. If Reilly goes unclaimed, the Bruins will just be over the cap and will need to do some configuring.

With all players healthy, the Bruins’ cap would be over $85 million. The NHL salary cap is $82.5 million, and if Reilly does not get claimed off waivers, the B’s will save $1.125 million by having him in Providence.

The likely move will be sending Derek Forbort to long-term injured reserve while he recovers from surgery for a broken right middle finger. Forbort, who’s already on injured reserve, will miss four to six weeks, so LTIR is an option for the Bruins. For those who don’t know: Being on LTIR does not go against the salary cap, while being on IR does.

If that’s the move the Bruins decide on, Forbort would be eligible to return Nov. 29 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Essentially, a lot depends on Reilly’s status and whether he’s claimed. Because if he still were a member of the Bruins organization at the end of Thursday, a corresponding move would need to be made once Forbort is ready to return.

A trade also is a possibility for the Bruins, but they’d need to be mindful of any salary they’d be taking on.

What we do know is that McAvoy will start Thursday’s game against the Calgary Flames alongside Matt Grzelcyk. It certainly will be a boost to the Bruins to have their top pairing back together. Puck drop from TD Garden is set for 7 p.m. ET.