McAvoy is out for Thursday's championship game.
Charlie McAvoy will be out week-to-week after suffering an injury during the round robin of the 4 Nations Face-Off — and the Boston Bruins are reportedly not at all happy with how it was handled, Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman reported on Wednesday.
McAvoy is in the hospital with a “significant injury” to his right shoulder that developed an infection, and it was the Bruins who reported the ailment, not Team USA.
“It became pretty clear it's because the Bruins were extremely unhappy with the way this had been handled and that they felt in this particular case McAvoy didn't get the proper care,” Friedman said. “We'll see how this plays out over time and we'll see if anybody disputes this, but it seems to me right now that Boston's very upset at the care that McAvoy got under Team USA.”
The star defenseman was hurt in America's opening 4 Nations game against Finland; the 27-year-old was driven into the post by Joel Armia in the first period. McAvoy returned to the ice for their second game against Canada and played well.
Although Boston didn't provide an official timeline, Daily Faceoff reported that McAvoy is week-to-week in his recovery. He's chipped in 23 points in 50 games for the Bruins in 2024-25, while leading the club in ice time at 23:40 per contest.
Both USA and the Bruins could use the services of the defenseman; Thursday's 4 Nations final speaks for itself, and Boston continues to battle for the final wildcard berth in the Eastern Conference.
4 Nations final between Canada, USA is appointment viewing
Although it was reported that superstar Quinn Hughes would replace McAvoy for Thursday's final at TD Garden, the Vancouver Canucks D-man wasn't medically cleared and didn't make the trip to Massachusetts.
Instead, it will be Ottawa Senators' Jake Sanderson stepping up on the big stage after playing his first game of the tournament against Sweden on Monday night. As well, Team USA has invited New Jersey Devils defenseman Brett Pesce and Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson to be on standby in case there are any more injuries or illnesses.
But head coach Mike Sullivan said that everyone on the roster is expected to play, including both Tkachuk brothers as well as Auston Matthews, who is dealing with a “new” injury.
A Canada-USA final was the desired outcome for most hockey fans after the round robin at the 4 Nations, and that's especially true considering the current heated political climate.
For basically every player that hasn't been involved in a Stanley Cup Final — on both sides — this will probably be the biggest game of their life.
Jordan Binnington will look to again capture a winner-take-all game at TD Garden after leading the St. Louis Blues to a Game 7 win in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. On the other end, Connor Hellebuyck, the NHL's reigning Vezina Trophy winner and undisputed best goalie in the tournament, will have other ideas.
Puck is set to drop on one of the most important games in hockey history just past 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday night.
