Sources: Team USA, Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy is week-to-week after procedure to clear infection
BOSTON — Team USA defenseman Charlie McAvoy is expected to miss multiple weeks of action for the Boston Bruins after undergoing a procedure on Tuesday to cut out and clean an infection, sources told Daily Faceoff.
McAvoy was ruled out of Thursday’s 4 Nations Face-Off winner-take-all championship game against Canada, a crushing blow to miss a potential watershed moment for hockey in the United States in a rivalry game played on home soil in his home barn.
McAvoy, 27, was hospitalized on Monday night after sources indicated he had severe pain from an infection that developed stemming from a relatively minor “upper-body” injury. The infection required urgent medical attention to stabilize the infection and stop the spread with antibiotics, followed by a procedure to scrape it out and flush it clean. The result of the procedure will keep McAvoy sidelined on a week-to-week basis until the area can heal.
McAvoy remained in a Boston hospital later on Tuesday for observation but was expected to be discharged if no further complications arose. There is no long-term concern for McAvoy’s health.
“He’s obviously disappointed that he won’t have the ability to participate in the championship game. He’s a very competitive guy, this tournament meant a lot to him,” said USA coach Mike Sullivan, who is also McAvoy’s father-in-law. “Obviously there’s a personal note with respect to my relationship with him, and I’m disappointed for him, because first and foremost he’s a great kid and he’s a terrific hockey player. And I know this meant a lot to him.”
It’s a gut punch for not only McAvoy, but also for the United States. Canada will have top defenseman Cale Makar, who missed Saturday’s game with illness, back in the lineup on Thursday night at TD Garden. McAvoy played a critical role in Team USA’s memorable win. He skated 19:27 against Canada on Saturday night and delivered two thunderous first period hits upending Connor McDavid.
Now, the United States’ blue line is in-flux, along with the NHL’s roster rules for the tournament. Sullivan said earlier Tuesday that Canucks captain Quinn Hughes was coming to Boston as a potential emergency injury replacement, but Hughes practiced in Vancouver on Tuesday and was unsure if he would make the trip.
Sources said Hughes decided he would only fly to Boston if there was a real chance he could play in Thursday’s championship. He was originally selected to the team on Dec. 4 but withdrew from the tournament due to injury and used the 12-day break in the schedule to heal.
Tournament rules indicated that players could only be added to the roster midstream if a team dipped below 12 forwards or six defensemen. That rule was originally written as position agnostic and the U.S. also has three forwards who are injured. The NHL had not yet made a ruling on Tuesday evening as to whether some of those forwards, if they were to not play, would open a hole for Hughes to join the roster and go with a lineup of 11 forwards and seven defensemen.
That seemed to be a long shot, given that would mean two forwards would have to be injured, if the NHL even allowed the swap – all of which provided pause for Hughes ahead of a cross-continent trek. Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson was expected to remain in the lineup on Thursday to replace McAvoy.