McAvoy’s NHL team, the Boston Bruins, are “unhappy” with how the defenceman’s ailment was handled by Team USA, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Real Kyper and Bourne on Wednesday.
The Bruins announced earlier in the day that McAvoy is in the hospital with a “significant injury” to his right shoulder that developed an infection. He’s been ruled out on a week-to-week basis, Daily Faceoff reported on Tuesday.
That the Bruins made the statement — and not Team USA — drew some questioning, per Friedman.
“It became pretty clear it’s because the Bruins were extremely unhappy with the way this had been handled and that they felt in this particular case McAvoy didn’t get the proper care,” Friedman said.
“We’ll see how this plays out over time and we’ll see if anybody disputes this, but it seems to me right now that Boston’s very upset at the care that McAvoy got under Team USA.”
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Canada vs. USA in 4 Nations Face-Off final on Sportsnet
Fierce rivals Canada and the U.S. collide in Boston on Thursday for the 4 Nations Face-Off final. Watch the game on Sportsnet, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney holds the same title for Team Canada.
McAvoy played in the Americans’ first two games of the 4 Nations Face-Off — wins over Finland and Canada — before sitting out Monday’s contest against Sweden which had no bearing on the standings.
It now appears the 27-year-old suffered the injury in the first game on a play where Finland’s Joel Armia drove him into the post, Friedman said.
But an initial diagnosis of the injury may not have caught the full severity, and McAvoy returned two days later as a physical force on the blueline against Connor McDavid and the Canadians.
He later underwent a procedure to clean and remove an infection that arose as a result of the injury.
Boston is on the Eastern Conference playoff bubble with 60 points in 57 games and sits one point back of the Ottawa Senators for the final wild-card spot.
McAvoy’s absence now opens the door for Senators defenceman Jake Sanderson to step onto the big stage after getting a taste against Sweden.
The U.S. has also invited defenceman Brett Pesce and forward Tage Thompson to be on standby in case the team endures any other last-minute injuries or illnesses.
Canada faces the Americans in the championship game on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Live coverage is available on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
