Bruins Management Makes A Bold Take On Charlie McAvoy

While Charlie McAvoy hasn't claimed a Norris Trophy like Bourque's five, Cam Neely, the Bruins' current team president and former Bourque teammate, is noticing intriguing parallels between No. 73 and No. 77.

Neely affirmed, "I'm beginning to see resemblances," particularly in McAvoy's emerging leadership role both on and off the ice.

Although McAvoy excels in logging heavy minutes and displays strong defensive skills akin to Bourque, there's room for growth in his offensive contributions. Neely suggested, "We'd love to see him shoot the puck more. Ray loved to do that. It could make him even more dangerous."

Despite a 13-game absence due to shoulder surgery, McAvoy's performance last season was remarkable, tallying seven goals and 45 assists in 67 games. His play extended into the playoffs with five assists in seven games, building on a career-best season of ten goals and 46 assists.

When confronted with Neely's advice to shoot more, McAvoy responded with a grin,

Should McAvoy follow this counsel and find the back of the net with his shots, the parallels to Ray Bourque may grow stronger.

As seen on bruinsinsider