Bruins in and out on defense

The Bruins have one defenseman out and one coming in just in time for the playoffs. You can look at that a couple of different ways: good, bad, or somewhere in the middle. There is validity to each of those takes.

So let’s start with the bad. Brandon Carlo is set to miss the rest of the season. He fractured his left ankle, so he will not be able to help the Bruins during the playoffs. That’s no good, but not all that surprising. After all, he missed the playoffs last year as he recovered from a concussion. It’s a shame. He’s a valuable contributor for the B’s and they need as much help as they can get in the playoffs.

The Bruins do have one positive though. That would be Charlie McAvoy coming back. He’s ready for the playoffs, and that’s great news. The youngster, who went to BU, is back after missing 15 games with a sprained knee. The 20-year-old McAvoy has amassed 32 points (seven goals. 25 assists) in 60 games this season. Not bad for a guy whose primary responsibility is on the other side of the puck.

Carlo’s injury makes McAvoy’s return that much more important around this time of year. McAvoy and Zdeno Chara are going to have to lead the team defensively once again, just as they did in the first round of the playoffs last year. In 2017, Chara and McAvoy were the oldest and youngest player on the team, but they were No. 1 and 2 as far as time on ice went during the postseason.