Bruins sign McAvoy to 3-year bridge deal with $4.9M AAV

The Boston Bruins have re-signed restricted free-agent defenseman Charlie McAvoy to a three-year contract with an average annual value of $4.9 million, the team announced Sunday.

McAvoy's new contract comes in just a hair shy of Zach Werenski's three-year, $15-million deal that the Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman signed Monday. Here are the full details:

McAvoy will have two more arbitration years after his new contract expires before hitting unrestricted free agency.

The 21-year-old tallied 28 points in 54 games last season while serving as half of Boston's shutdown pairing alongside veteran captain Zdeno Chara.

The Bruins now have $3.2 million left in projected cap space to sign their last RFA, defenseman Brandon Carlo, according to CapFriendly. Boston could create additional cap space by assigning players to the minors.