Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy receives third career suspension from NHL

Charlie McAvoy and the Boston Bruins knew this was coming, but it’s now been confirmed. Following McAvoy’s in-person hearing in the NHL‘s offices in New York City, the league has announced the defenseman will be suspended for the start of the 2026-27 regular season.

“Boston’s Charlie McAvoy has been suspended for six regular season games for slashing Buffalo’s Zach Benson,” the NHL’s Department of Player Safety stated on its social media, @NHLPlayerSafety.

Charlie McAvoy’s suspension—the third of his NHL career—was handed down because of his aggressive slash on Zach Benson during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference first-round matchup in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

McAvoy is handed minimum suspension

Because he was scheduled for an in-person hearing, McAvoy and the Spoked B knew the defenseman would be suspended for at least six games. “If the Department of Player Safety determines that any Supplemental Discipline from an infraction will result in five games or less, the hearing is conducted by phone,” the NHL states on its official website, NHL.com.

It has been confirmed that McAvoy will serve no more and no fewer than a six-game suspension. All things considered, McAvoy may have gotten off lightly for slashing Benson. In an 82-game season, a six-game absence is hardly noticeable. Considering the 2026-27 campaign will be the NHL’s first 84-game season under the new CBA, McAvoy’s suspension will carry an even smaller proportional impact.

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McAvoy’s suspension history

Although the American defenseman is no stranger to suspensions, this will mark the longest time he has been sidelined without pay for his actions on the ice. In the past, McAvoy served a four-game suspension during the 2023-24 NHL season and a one-game suspension in the 2018-19 campaign. Both incidents stemmed from illegal checks to the head.

Although the Department of Player Safety hasn’t imposed any fines on McAvoy, the blueliner will lose his game salary for every matchup he misses because of the suspension. One way or another, the punishment will also impact McAvoy financially. The defenseman has never played a full season in his career, and the 2026-27 campaign will not be an exception.