Bruins' Charlie McAvoy Suspended for Slashing Sabres' Zach Benson During NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Boston Bruins will be starting the 2026-27 regular season without Charlie McAvoy.

McAvoy has been suspended for six games after slashing the Buffalo Sabres' Zach Benson during the Bruins' first-round elimination Game 6 loss on May 1, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday.

McAvoy was ejected from Game 6 for the incident, which took place after he was tripped by Benson in the final minutes of the Bruins' 4-1 elimination loss.

McAvoy is heading into the fifth season of his eight-year, $9.5 million AAV contract with the Bruins. He will forfeit more than $300,000 in salary due to the suspension, per TSN's Chris Johnston.

A video shared by the Department of Player Safety described Benson's initial trip as "dangerous," but noted referees had flagged the trip and that prior penalties did not justify illegal plays.

The DOPS went on to note that McAvoy pursued Benson some distance "well after the whistle was blown," and that Benson was skating in the opposite direction at the time.

McAvoy's ensuing two-handed slash was described by DOPS as "an intentional and forceful strike delivered to an opponent's body specifically for the purpose of retribution and message-sending."

The DOPS also cited McAvoy's disciplinary history, which includes two prior suspensions for hits the head as well as a fine, as part of their reasoning behind the suspension.

McAvoy was suspended for one game in May 2019 for a check to the head against the Columbus Blue Jackets' Josh Anderson, then sat out four games in 2023 for the same violation against the Florida Panthers' Oliver Ekman-Larsson.

He also received a $5,000 fine for tripping the Carolina Hurricanes' Brady Skjei in 2022.

Boston's defensive depth will now be tested in early October as the team heads into next season without their top blueliner. Henri Jokiharju could see more playing time in that early stretch as the Bruins look to cover for McAvoy on the right side of their top pairing.