Comparing McAvoy to Bourque, Neely acknowledged McAvoy's ability to log substantial minutes and his strong defensive play. However, he noted that McAvoy could enhance his offensive contributions.
"Offensively is the area where he's lagging a little bit from where Bourque was. Charlie [McAvoy]... I think we'd all like to see him shoot the puck more because he does have a good shot. I think he'd be more dangerous if he shoots the puck more... and that's one thing that Ray loved to do, shoot the puck. So, as someone that stands in front of the net and takes a beating, I loved that."