During his hiatus, McAvoy saw some of his best friends leave during the trade window. “It was not fun. It was a really tough day on a lot of different fronts,” McAvoy said about the departures of Brad Marchand and Co..

Brad Marchand led the Boston Bruins for 16 seasons and was really close with Charlie McAvoy. Moreover, fellow defenseman Brandon Carlo, forward Charlie Coyle, and others leaving for different teams also hurt McAvoy. “I’ve seen a lot of my friends no longer here, and I understand there’s a business part of… But it doesn’t make it easier,” the 27-year-old said in the locker room.

While succeeding alongside his teammates was always a priority for McAvoy, the synergy those friendships brought was a big part of that success. “There’s another aspect to this game that has nothing to do with on the ice, and that’s the friendships,” explained the 27-year-old defenseman. Brad Marchand also showed how much their friendship meant, during the 4 Nations tournament.

Brad Marchand and Charlie McAvoy were archrivals during the 4 Four Nations Face-Off. In fact, the Canadian ice hockey veteran made plans not to communicate with any of his NHL teammates during the tournament. Yet, after learning about his shoulder injury, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to McAvoy. “Chucky is one of my best friends. I care a lot about him,” he told reporters. Unfortunately, things have only gotten worse since the trade window.

Charlie McAvoy and Co. have not fared well

GM Don Sweeney and interim head coach Joe Sacco knew they needed to reboot the squad, but their plan has not worked out. The Boston Bruins showed a renewed fighting spirit after the trade window closed, defeating Tampa Bay Lightning and the Marchand’s new team, the Florida Panthers. Yet Charlie McAvoy watched as his team took a nosedive in the games that followed, with the latest blow in the 6-game losing streak being handed by the LA Kings.

Nothing seems to be going right for the squad, whether it’s the offense, defense, or goal-tending. Ty Anderson took to X after the Bruins lost to the San Jose Sharks on March 22, to reveal a depressing stat. “19th time this season that the Bruins have scored one goal or less. 2nd-most in the league. Only Minnesota (23) with more nights like that in 2024-25.” wrote Anderson.

Joe Sacco is hopeful that an experienced player like Charlie McAvoy joining the team will make a difference. However, it’s difficult to see how the Bruins will salvage whatever is left of the NHL regular season.