Charlie McAvoy signs monster contract extension in Boston!

Charlie McAvoy is here to stay. The Boston Bruins and the talented young defenseman have agreed to a massive eight-year contract extension on Friday. 

The deal will pay the blue liner an $9.5 M AAV, as the contract is set for eight years, with $26.5 M in signing bonuses, $49.5 M in salary for $76 M total. 

The 23-year-old defenseman was set to become restricted free agent at the end of this season. He signed a three-year, $14.7 million contract with the Bruins on Sept. 15, 2019. McAvoy will receive a $6 million salary during the 2021-22 season with an additional $3.25 million coming via signing bonus.

It was expected that McAvoy would seek a hefty contract as he saw monster deals getting signed across the league by other star defensemen. Several comparable NHL blue liners signed contracts, including Miro Heiskanen of the Dallas Stars (eight years, $67.6 million), Seth Jones of the Chicago Blackhawks (eight years, $76 million), Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche (six years, $54 million), Dougie Hamilton of the New Jersey Devils (seven years, $63 million) and Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets (six years, $57.5 million).

Last season, he finished fifth in voting for the Norris Trophy, given to the best defenseman in the NHL, after scoring 30 points (five goals, 25 assists) in 51 games last season. He has scored 122 points (24 goals, 98 assists) in four NHL seasons, all with Boston.

The Bruins can now shift their attention to captain Patrice Bergeron, who is a pending unrestricted free agent and said in September that he would not sign a new deal until the end of the season.