McAvoy Rejoins Bruins for Practice in Anaheim

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Much has changed for the Bruins since Charlie McAvoy last hit the ice with his teammates on Feb. 8 at TD Garden.

For one, his long-time teammates Brad Marchand, Charlie Coyle, Brandon Carlo, and Trent Frederic were traded away at the deadline, leaving the Boston dressing room altered dramatically.

The 27-year-old also had to deal with a significant health scare – an infection that resulted from a shoulder injury suffered during the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off in Montreal.

To say it has been a whirlwind for the B’s alternate captain is an understatement.

“I wish a lot of things would have been different here down the stretch, I really do,” said McAvoy. “It hasn’t been the easiest. But this sort of feels like it being a close to that. I get back out here with the guys now and that’s nice. Put the past in the past and we’ll pick up right here.”

McAvoy was speaking on Tuesday afternoon after Boston’s practice at Honda Center, during which he donned a red jersey as a partial participant.

“Feeling good, glad to just be out here with the guys and just to get back into the swing of things,” said McAvoy. “It’s been a lot, it’s tough. We’re out the other side now. Just happy to be here.”

Interim head coach Joe Sacco said McAvoy’s presence on the road over the past few days has been a lift for the Bruins, though there remains “no timeline” for the blue liner’s return to game action. McAvoy will not play on the trip.

“He joined us on Sunday night [in Los Angeles]. There’s still no timeline. He won’t play this trip but it’s good to have him here. It’s good to see him on the ice with his teammates and I just think it’s good for the morale of the team to have him around. He’s an experienced player,” said Sacco.

“He’s progressing the way he should be right now. He’s not pushing himself any more than he has to. When he’s available he’ll be in the lineup. When he’s ready.”

McAvoy was speaking to reporters for the first time since being injured in Montreal during one of Team USA’s preliminary round games at the 4 Nations Face-Off. Upon returning to Boston for the second half of the tournament, the Long Island native’s condition was worsening, resulting in the diagnosis of an infection that required swift treatment at Mass. General Hospital.

“It wasn’t good. It was bad,” said McAvoy. “It was when I got home that things sort of hit the fan on [that] Monday and that landed me in the hospital and things moved pretty fast after that. The infection was moving pretty fast after that and it got very serious, very quick. Another thing that I’m just trying to leave in the past, really.

“It was scary, it was scary on me, scary on my family, mostly. I just could not be more grateful for all the people at MGH and all the people that took such amazing care for me at a time when we really needed it.

“Those people are the heroes of this story. They mean the world to me and I truly am grateful for them and how I was taken care of there.”

While things took quite a turn during the tournament, McAvoy said representing Team USA “was the most fun I’ve ever had in hockey.”

“There’s nothing to compare it to,” said McAvoy. “The talent, the speed, the skill, the competitiveness. You’re talking about being part of the best players in your country. The execution, the practices, the games, it was so special. It was so much fun to be a part of. It broke my heart, it really did, that I didn’t get to be a part of it in Boston.

“But they played so well and I’m so proud of them. It was unfortunate but off the ice, to play with so many guys that I hadn’t been able to see and play with for such a long time. You just pick up right where you left off. It felt like we were kids again back in Ann Arbor.

“Shifting forward, if I’m lucky enough to get a chance on the Olympic Team, I know that we have so much to look forward to with that.”

McAvoy’s media session was also his first since the trade deadline, which brought with it significant change to the Black & Gold. The defenseman said he was on the couch watching things unfold on television with his newborn son, Rhys, and was not expecting the trades of Marchand and Carlo that were reported after the 3 p.m. ET deadline.

“It was 3 o’clock and I thought we were safe and then stuff was coming in and then it was Marchy and Brando, Charlie was earlier in the day. Those last two, you weren’t ready for them,” said McAvoy. “It was not fun. It was a really tough day on a lot of different fronts…there’s another aspect to this game that has nothing to do with on the ice and that’s the friendships of it and the relationships, and the reality of it is I’ve been here for a while now and a lot of my friends are no longer here.

“I understand it’s the business part of it. I get it. But it doesn’t make it easier to see a lot of your best buddies now be in other spots…it’s a problem that that everybody goes through so it’s not just me. But it stings, it does.

“But all those guys, you wish nothing but the best for them. They’re very easy to cheer for, every one of them, every guy that we lost.”

Now in his ninth season, McAvoy realizes that it will be incumbent upon him and David Pastrnak to move the team forward, especially now that he’s back around the team.

“That will be something that myself and Pasta and the remaining leaders here will have discussions about,” said McAvoy. “To be honest with you, I haven’t crossed paths with anyone since I’ve been hurt. These guys are in the thick of it, in a battle, and I’m just trying to get myself healthy so it’s tough to not be in the fight, tough to lead from the sidelines when you’re not within the group and you’re not there.

“But moving forward, it’s probably our most important objective is how we get it back and what we’re gonna do and how we’re gonna leave it better than we found it. We’ve certainly got some work to do on that front. But it’s a challenge that you’re so fortunate to have because I know both of us know what it means to be a Boston Bruin and know what it looks like and what it feels like to be a part of the teams that are the winning teams, the special teams.

“It’s right there, we’ve just got to get it back.”

Wait, There’s More

• Nikita Zadorov on his comments regarding Jeremy Swayman’s attempt to fight Kings goalie Dary Kuemper on Sunday night: “Obviously, at the time, I was frustrated. Whatever I said it wasn’t towards Sway. I didn’t expect that question from…you’re pissed after the game. I was basically saying, try to stay away from finding positives, that there were a lot of negatives in our game…obviously, we appreciate in this room guys stepping in for each other. That’s the culture that was here before I came here and I’m trying to follow it…anybody who is here while I’m here is gonna step up for each other. That’s the main part for us. It wasn’t even thinking it a comment towards Sway or anything like this. It was just taken out of context. He’s a huge part of our team, he’s signed for the next eight years. I’m here for the next five years. We’re gonna be together for a long time and gonna be a lot of success with this team and back in playoff hockey and hopefully win the Cup in here. That’s where we’re gonna leave it.”

• Sacco on what he was looking for out of Tuesday’s practice: “Some compete, some competitiveness on the puck. I think that was important. Last game, we finished up a stretch of three in four on the road. But having said that, when you play good teams like L.A., they’re hard on pucks. That’s an area for us that was a focus today…we have to do a better job of managing our offensive zone time, creating more time there and less in our zone.”
• Sacco on tweaking some of the forward lines: “We need to do something to shake up and balance out some of the scoring of our attack…we kept the lines the same [at practice], that’s not to say they’ll be the same [on Wednesday vs. Anaheim]. We’d like to give it one more game and see how it goes.”
• Sacco on Casey Mittelstadt centering Pastrnak: “I think what we’re looking for is the opportunity for Mittelstadt to get Pasta scoring opportunities. Mittelstadt’s a pass-first player as we know. We’re hoping that it creates some more opportunities for David…be ready to shoot and not pass it off to someone. David’s a scorer for us. That’s what we want for him.”

Tuesday’s Practice Lineup

FORWARDS

Marat Khusnutdinov – Casey Mittelstadt – David Pastrnak

Morgan Geekie – Pavel Zacha – Fabian Lysell

Cole Koepke – Elias Lindholm – Vinni Lettieri

Jakub Lauko – Johnny Beecher – Patrick Brown

DEFENSEMEN

Nikita Zadorov – Henri Jokiharju

Mason Lohrei – Andrew Peeke

Parker Wotherspoon – Ian Mitchell

Michael Callahan – Charlie McAvoy

GOALIES

Jeremy Swayman

Joonas Korpisalo