Charlie McAvoy’s Top-10 Snub Sends Clear Message to Bruins Star
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Charlie McAvoy did nearly everything the Boston Bruins could have asked of him during the 2025-26 season. He set career highs in goals, assists and points. He handled Boston’s most demanding defensive assignments. He returned less than a month after suffering a fractured jaw and losing multiple teeth. He even helped the United States capture an Olympic gold medal.
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Yet NHL Network still believes there are 10 defensemen better than him.
McAvoy landed at No. 11 on NHL Network’s annual ranking of the league’s top 20 defensemen, which NHL.com published Sunday. The placement was hardly disrespectful, but it provided Boston’s franchise defenseman with another challenge entering the 2026-27 season.
After producing the finest offensive campaign of his NHL career, McAvoy must prove he belongs among the league’s unquestioned elite.
McAvoy Reached Another Level for Bruins
McAvoy finished last season with 11 goals and 50 assists for 61 points in 69 games. All three totals established career highs. His 61 points were also the most recorded by a Bruins defenseman since Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque produced 82 during the 1995-96 campaign.
NHL Network’s Top 20 Defensemen Right Now, via @NHLMedia:
— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) August 10, 2026
1) Cale Makar
2) Quinn Hughes
3) Zach Werenski
4) Rasmus Dahlin
5) Miro Heiskanen
6) Lane Hutson
7) Matthew Schaefer
8) Jake Sanderson
9) Moritz Seider
10) Evan Bouchard
11) Charlie McAvoy
12) Jaccob Slavin
13) Adam Fox… pic.twitter.com/2xV1j4kAO4
McAvoy’s impact extended well beyond his overall point total.
The 28-year-old generated a career-best 23 points on the power play, the most by a Boston defenseman since Torey Krug recorded 28 in 2019-20. His five high-danger goals tied for third among NHL blue-liners, according to NHL EDGE.
McAvoy also led the Bruins by averaging 24:23 of ice time and finished second on the team with 129 blocked shots. He posted a plus-13 rating, recorded 14 multi-point games and put together a nine-game point streak from Jan. 22 through Feb. 28.
Those numbers would have been impressive under any circumstances. McAvoy producing them while missing 11 games because of a frightening facial injury made the season even more remarkable.
His performance helped Boston return to the Stanley Cup playoffs one year after missing the postseason.
MORE: Bruins Make Five Number Changes Official Ahead of New Season
NHL Network Ranking Creates Interesting Debate
Finishing No. 11 makes McAvoy the first player outside NHL Network’s top tier. Edmonton Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard occupied the No. 10 spot after leading all NHL defensemen with 95 points. Detroit Red Wings star Moritz Seider ranked ninth after recording 60 points in 82 games while averaging 25:40 of ice time.
Both placements are understandable.
The more intriguing comparison comes with Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson, who ranked eighth. Sanderson finished with a career-high 54 points in 67 games and averaged 24:50 of ice time. Sanderson has rapidly emerged as one of the NHL’s premier young defensemen, and rankings must consider more than raw offensive production. Still, McAvoy scored seven more points while playing only two additional games and carrying a similarly demanding workload.
That does not make NHL Network’s decision indefensible. It does make McAvoy’s exclusion from the top 10 debatable.
Bruins Need McAvoy to Prove Ranking Wrong
McAvoy will not get an immediate opportunity to answer the ranking The Bruins star must serve a six-game suspension to begin the season following his slash on Buffalo Sabres forward Zach Benson during Boston’s playoff elimination. His absence will place early pressure on a Bruins defense that relies heavily on him in every situation.
Once McAvoy returns, Boston will again ask him to play top-pair minutes, quarterback the power play and match up against opponents’ most dangerous forwards.
The difference is that expectations are now even higher. McAvoy has already established himself as the Bruins’ most important defenseman. His eight-year, $76 million contract reflects how the organization views his value, while last season demonstrated the offensive ceiling he possesses when healthy.
NHL Network did not exactly dismiss McAvoy by ranking him 11th. It did, however, draw a clear line between him and the league’s 10 best defensemen. After a career season still was not enough to cross that line, McAvoy enters 2026-27 with a compelling opportunity to make sure nobody can leave him outside the top 10 again.