Bruins’ Charlie McAvoy to have hearing for slash on Sabres’ Zach Benson

The Boston Bruins‘ season may be over, but defenseman Charlie McAvoy can’t head to the golf course full-time quite yet.

McAvoy is set to have an in-person hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety regarding an incident from Friday’s 4-1 season-ending loss to the Buffalo Sabres in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series.

With about a minute and a half left in the game, and Boston already down 4-1, Benson was engaged in a footrace with McAvoy to beat out an icing. McAvoy won the race to get the icing call against Buffalo, but in the process, Benson’s foot ran up behind McAvoy and tripped him with a maybe-not-so-accidental slew foot. After colliding into the end boards, McAvoy got up immediately incensed, skated over to Benson and delivered a massive two-handed chop to Benson’s right forearm

McAvoy, 28, was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct from the officials on the ice, and now faces a hearing from the Department of Player Safety with the likelihood of receiving supplemental discipline from the league.

Much like with Ottawa Senators forward Ridley Greig, who is also awaiting a hearing for an incident from a game in which his team was eliminated, any suspension the league levies against McAvoy would have to carry into the 2026-27 season.

Assuming McAvoy does receive a suspension from the league, it won’t be his first time. He was suspended for four games in 2023 for a check to the head of then-Florida Panthers defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. He was also suspended one game in the 2019 playoffs for a check to the head of then-Columbus Blue Jackets forward Josh Anderson.

McAvoy had no goals and two assists in the six-game series against the Sabres. He just completed the fourth season of an eight-year, $76 million contract with the Bruins.