The Boston Bruins are getting their best defenseman back on Tuesday night, and Marco Sturm was quick to pair him with the next-best option. 

Charlie McAvoy skated alongside Hampus Lindholm at practice on Monday afternoon in San Jose, according to the lines shared by Belle Fraser of BostonBruins.com. McAvoy just finished serving his six-game suspension after a slash to Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson at the end of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. 

“It was a really long time. Long time for me, but I got to go through the camp with everybody, so I guess, in that capacity, it definitely did feel short and different from normal, but it’s almost like ramping up to go nowhere fast is what it kind of felt like,” McAvoy said to reporters in San Jose. “I’m really excited to be back. The guys have been doing a great job. So I’m really excited to just rejoin a team that’s starting to find their stride and playing really good.” 

McAvoy was with the team when they took the ice on September 17 for training camp. He was limited to just two preseason games, both of which he skated with Frederic Brunet, before his suspension kicked in at the start of the regular season. 

McAvoy remained at practice with the team throughout the suspension, skating on the fourth pair with either Brunet or Jonathan Aspirot. He started rotating back into power play reps last week at Warrior Ice Arena, and NESN’s Adam Pellerin reported that he skated with the top unit on Monday. 

Despite the extra practice time, McAvoy knows that nothing can replace the in-game experience. 

“Yeah, I feel good. I think we tried to make the most of it,” McAvoy said. “I feel really strong, I feel really good with where my body is at. Conditioning is tough, you know, we worked really hard on the ice, and you stay out after and do all those bag skates and stuff, but really nothing can replace the game, so tomorrow I know I’ll be keeping my shifts short and trying to get in and acclimate pretty quickly.” 

The Bruins’ alternate captain watched from the ninth floor as the black and gold embarked on their first six games of the season. They blanked his childhood team, the New York Rangers, on opening night, then rebounded from back-to-back losses with back-to-back wins by a combined score of 11-2. 

McAvoy, understandably, was not the biggest fan of being on the ninth floor. However, he said Monday that it gave him a different view of the game. 

“I guess it’s a little bit [of] both. Like, I think you can grab perspective [from the ninth floor], but I do hate doing it. So I think it was both,” McAvoy said. “I think you have to remember that sometimes everything looks really easy from up there, so I guess it’s nice perspective to see it from that bird’s-eye view, but it isn’t fun being up there. So I’m really excited to be back down on the ice and in the fight with the guys.” 

McAvoy and Hampus Lindholm have skated together before, including for 137:19 at 5-on-5 last season. They owned a 55.6% share of shot attempts, and they outscored opponents 10-3, according to Natural Stat Trick. Over 516 minutes together across the last three seasons, Lindholm and McAvoy have outscored opponents 30-16 and owned a 54.98% share of shot attempts. 

“Yeah, I’ve played with Hammer before. I truly think I’ve played with everybody before, having gotten some reps with [Brunet] in the preseason. So I think I can say I have played with everybody,” McAvoy said. “And no matter who I’m with, my job always stays the same: to be the absolute best that I can be and try and elevate my partner.”

“Let’s make each other’s lives easier. If it’s Hammer tomorrow and someone else moving forward, that doesn’t change. Just try and be the very best I can be.” 

McAvoy led Bruins defensemen with a career-high 61 points (11-50–61) last season. He is the Bruins’ top option on the blue line, but he knows that playing with Lindholm gives him more freedom offensively. 

“Yeah, I think, you know, going to try and get involved. I love that side of the game and try and do it responsibly,” McAvoy said. “I know he does open that up for me being so good defensively as he is, but I know he likes to go sometimes, too. So we’ll take care of each other, and yeah, I’m excited to get going.”

McAvoy and the Bruins will start their four-game road trip on Tuesday night at SAP Center in San Jose. They then visit Anaheim, Los Angeles, and Dallas before returning home to play Nashville on October 22. 

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