Charlie McAvoy won't be at Warrior Ice arena Thursday when the Boston Bruins open training camp.
But there's hope he'll join the team in the near future.
Contract talks between the Bruins and the 21-year-old defenseman have "picked up" this week following Zach Werenski's recent deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets, The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun reported Thursday.
Both McAvoy and defenseman Brandon Carlo became unrestricted free agents after the 2018-19 season and have yet to come to terms with the Bruins.
As our own Joe Haggerty wrote Tuesday, though, Werenski's three-year, $15 million bridge deal offers an obvious blueprint for the B's to get McAvoy's deal done. McAvoy is a top-pairing defenseman coming off a solid second season (seven goals and 21 assists in 54 games; plus-14) in Boston who's an essential member of the Bruins' core.
B's general manager Don Sweeney said Wednesday that McAvoy and Carlo's contracts still are "works in progress," but it appears there's at least some positive momentum.
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