Longtime Boston Bruin Charlie Coyle opened up about his time with his hometown franchise in a recent Instagram post. Coyle was traded from the Bruins to the Colorado Avalanche at last season’s trade deadline as the Bruins are working through a rebuild and Colorado was looking to add a depth scorer for their playoff run.
Coyle, a Weymouth, MA native, spent six seasons with the Bruins, living out his NHL dreams just 20 miles away from his hometown. He quickly became a fan favorite because of his ties to the local community and his outstanding play on the Bruins 2019 run to the Stanley Cup Finals, when they lost to the St. Louis Blues.
“I can’t feel anything other than grateful & fortunate to have played for the Boston Bruins for 6 years,” Coyle wrote in his Instagram post. “It fulfilled a lifelong dream to be able to wear the Bruins sweater & play at home in front of all my family & friends.”
“There are so many different people to thank who helped shape me & get me to where I am, who gave me the opportunity, and those who cheered me on & supported me throughout,” Coyle continued. “I owe a lot – but just know I appreciate & thank you all! So many great memories have been made that I’ll have with me the rest of my life 🖤🐻💛”
Coyle’s Tenure With The Black and Gold
Coyle centered Boston’s second and third lines in his time in Boston. He accumulated 267 points in 452 regular season games and 75 playoff games.
He was also one of the most defensively responsible forwards the Bruins had during his tenure, especially after the retirement of perennial Selke Trophy candidate Patrice Bergeron. Coyle admirably helped the Bruins defensive unit as a great back-checker and penalty killer in addition to his offensive prowess.
Coyle spent seven seasons with the Minnesota Wild before he was traded to Boston in 2019, and was briefly with Colorado last season before the Avalanche traded him to the Columbus Blue Jackets this summer along with Miles Wood.
Coyle is still playing out his six year contract that he originally signed with the Bruins in 2020, earning $5.25 million annually. This is the final year of his contract which he will play out in Columbus before he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.
Bruins fans will surely be calling for general manager Don Sweeney to make some calls to get their beloved hometown hero back when he hits the open market next summer.
Bruins Thin at Center Heading Into 2025-26
In the last few years, Boston lost longtime centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci, and now that Coyle is no longer with the team, the center position is uncharacteristically weak for the Bruins as they enter a bridge season.
The projected top four centers that the Bruins have are Elias Lindholm, Pavel Zacha, John Beecher and Sean Kuraly. Zacha has been the only center with any tangible success as a Bruin.
Lindholm severely underperformed in his first season with Boston last year, while Beecher and Kuraly both fill important bottom-six roles, but are ultimately replacement level players.
Charlie Coyle Opens Up On His Time In Boston In Instagram Post