At last year’s trade deadline, Don Sweeny traded a struggling winger in Ryan Donato to the Minnesota Wild for a veteran center in Charlie Coyle.
The Weymouth native was brought to Boston to provide a spark to the third line.
While the regular season still has about a month left, Coyle has been a perfect fit. The 28-year-old has not only provided a spark but is having one of the best seasons of his career.
Through 70 games this season, Coyle has 16 goals and 21 assists. He also has three game-winning goals and five points on the powerplay. While they are not career highs, they are some of the best totals in his career so far.
What a fun goal by Charlie Coyle pic.twitter.com/OkbUWJZk5J
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 28, 2020
While Coyle’s offense has been impressive, he has fit perfectly into Bruins’ culture. In 21 games for the black and gold last year, he finished with a rating of minus two. So far this season, he has a plus rating of nine and has been a force at both ends of the ice.
Additionally, in 81 regular-season games last year, Coyle landed 76 hits. In his first full season in Boston, he has landed 83 hits with 12 games remaining. It Is the first time since the 2016-2017 campaign that Coyle has reached the 80-hit plateau. The Weymouth native has shown a willingness to be more physical, making it difficult for his opponents.
Nice defensive play by Charlie Coyle #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/E7Pzh06hv5
— Joseph (@HockeyJoseph10) March 11, 2020
Furthermore, over the last five games, Coyle has lead all Bruins forwards in ice time. On the season, he is averaging 16:47 ice time per game, which is the fourth-highest mark in his career. It also shows the Bruins trust in Coyle as it is almost a minute increase in his playing time after being traded to Boston last year.
The Weymouth native has also been more aggressive offensively than in years past. Coyle has 13 goals at even strength, which is the third-highest total of his career. He is shooting the puck 11 percent of the time, which is his highest total in four years.
Happy birthday to Charlie Coyle. A guy who has been as close to a perfect acquisition for the Bruins as you can get #NHLBruinspic.twitter.com/z8nJKMbSNr
— Mike Cratty (@Mike_Cratty) March 2, 2020
Last postseason, Coyle showed his value as he had 16 points in 24 games. He has been able to carry that success into the regular season as the Bruins own the top spot in the Eastern Conference, partly due to Coyle’s play.
With the playoffs only a month away, the Bruins will need Coyle at his best. While the postseason is a different animal, he showed last year that he was ready for the challenge and will be coming off an impressive regular season.
