Ryan: Trading for Charlie Coyle makes this Bruins team better - but now it’s time for the other shoe to drop

LAS VEGAS — How fitting is it that, on a trek down to Las Vegas, the Bruins finally cashed in following a season-long game of roulette at the third-line center position?

A consistent trio in Boston’s bottom six was one of the strengths of a 2017-18 Bruins club that finished just a point out of the top spot in the Eastern Conference, with the group of Danton Heinen, David Backes and Riley Nash combining for 14 5v5 goals scored in just under 332 minutes of ice time together.

But with Nash’s departure in free agency this past summer, Boston opted to enter the 2018-19 campaign with a vacant spot at the pivot — the hope being that the organization’s strong pipeline of young talent would be able to step in and keep that line humming.

It hasn’t gone swimmingly, to say the least.

Numerous skaters on the B’s roster have been given keys to the third line over the year — Sean Kuraly earned the spot out of training camp, David Backes took a few reps at the spot, and then it was on to the young guys. Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson earned the call up from Providence, then Colby Cave. Over the last couple of weeks, it’s been Trent Frederic’s turn, with the 20-year-old prospect failing to get on the scoresheet over an 11-game stretch.

Very few combinations on the third line have managed to stick around under Bruce Cassidy’s watch. The one group that gained some traction, with Forsbacka Karlsson in the middle of a young group with Heinen and Ryan Donato, showed some signs of progress, but failed to gain much trust, with just about 10 percent of that line’s zone starts coming in the defensive zone.

Something finally had to give, and at last — Don Sweeney and Bruins front office waved the white flag and looked for outside help. The solution? Local kid Charlie Coyle — who Boston pried out of Minnesota in exchange for Ryan Donato and a conditional 2019 fifth-round pick.

Parting ways with a youngster like Donato — who will join Minnesota for Thursday’s matchup against the Rangers — could be painful down the road, with the Harvard product’s patented, heavy wrister likely setting him up for a couple of 20-goal seasons down the road, especially with added minutes on a soon-to-be rebuilding club like Minnesota.

But when it comes to fixing an immediate need, there’s plenty to like about what Coyle, an East Weymouth native and BU product, can bring to this club.

Entrenching a proven player like Coyle into the lineup puts out plenty of fires for Bruce Cassidy and his staff. While Coyle’s offense numbers may not jump out (10 goals, 18 assists over 60 games played), the forward has been productive during 5v5 play — an area that Boston has labored in all season long.

On a B’s club that ranks 25th in the league with 109 5v5 goals scored, Coyle’s production outside of the man advantage (22 5v5 points — good for 5th on the Bruins) will be a welcome addition. Along with that, Coyle was often a workhorse in Minnesota, averaging 17:03 TOI per game, including over a minute per game on both the power play and penalty kill.

Coyle’s versatility should help stabilize that third line going forward, while also allowing Boston to keep guys like Frederic and Forsbacka Karlsson down in Providence to work on their game, rather than roll them out for limited minutes, as Frederic has dealt with for most of his time up in the NHL so far (9:12 average TOI).

“We do feel that there’s a need there at third-line center,” Cassidy said. “Freddy has been doing well, but he’s young. I’ve been told, I think (center) is (Coyle’s) best position. Can he go out and play right wing? Especially with David Pastrnak out? Yeah. He can play with (David Krejci) or (Patrice Bergeron) or (Brad Marchand) somewhere up in the lineup.

“I think it’s a good acquisition because of that, because he can fill either hole. Maybe both in the same game, he can move back and forth, depending on the need. I think it’s good for us. Good size, good talent. Young. So that’s how I see it fitting in.”

When you add in the fact that Boston was able to acquire Coyle without parting ways with a first-rounder (something that Sweeney has vehemently opposed after giving one up in the Rick Nash deal), and bringing along a player under contract for another season with a reasonable cap hit of $3.2 million — there’s plenty to like about a move like this, as it puts Boston in a better position than it was just a few hours earlier today.

“I think I said earlier this morning, I’m confident in this group that we can win,” Jake DeBrusk said. “Now we can add Charlie to that mix. Obviously, there might be different things happening or don’t happen, we don't really know. It’s just a matter of trying to win games and stay consistent.”

This Bruins bunch is an easy group to rout for — they overcame injuries, they’re in the midst of a seven-game win streak, they have some key cogs up front in Bergeron, Krejci, Marchand and Pastrnak, two good goalies that are hitting their stride and a stingy defense that has been a pain for opposing clubs to deal with during 5v5 play.

Coyle adds to that mix and gives Boston a viable option in the bottom six, but if he’s going to be Boston’s answer for some reps up in a top-six role? *gulp*.

Boston currently sits second in the Eastern Conference (and third in the entire NHL) with 80 points this season — and are primed to make some noise in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Still, if the East is an arms race, Boston might be bringing a water pistol to a gunfight, because no one is catching up to Tampa Bay right now. The Lightning, like the Bruins, are one of just three teams that have not lost in regulation so far in February. For Boston’s it’s an impressive hot streak — in Tampa, it’s essentially par for the course.

The Lightning are a wagon this year, boasting a record of 46-11-4 — manhandling the rest of the NHL with a roster that ranks first in the league in in goals per game (3.90), fifth in goals allowed per game (2.64), first in power-play success rate (30.2 percent) and  second in penalty kill at 85.1 percent.

Nikita Kucherov is set to become the first player to tally 130 points or more since Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr back in 1995-96. Both Brayden Point and Steven Stamkos are on pace for 100-point seasons. Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh anchor a loaded blue line, and hey, Andrei Vasilevskiy is pretty damn good in net.

With this current roster, Boston can land a few jabs in against Tampa. But last a whole, seven-game, heavyweight bout? Not too sure about that.

They’re going to need some help — but even with Donato’s departure, Sweeney has a boatload of assets to land another impact player. They might be rentals, but Boston has the resources to pry a guy like Mark Stone out of Ottawa if need be, or at the very least, add another viable top-six winger like 22-goal scorer Ryan Dzingel.

The addition of Coyle does create a bit of a domino effect, especially if Boston does, in fact, go out and add another top-six piece. For as much as Boston has struggled all year with its third line, you very well could roll out a lineup like this within the next week or so, if everything falls into place:

Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak / Stone
DeBrusk-Krejci-Stone / Pastrnak
Kuhlman/Cehlarik-Coyle-Heinen
Kuraly-Acciari-Wagner

Now you’ve got something there, with four dependable centers that you can rely on, some depth in a guy like David Backes and one of the best top-six groups in the league.

Even if Sweeney stands pat, Boston’s locker room already feels that it’s in a position to contend come the spring, even if it’s flying a bit under the radar with organizations like Tampa Bay and Toronto hogging most of the spotlight.

Add in a player like Stone to this mix, and this Bruins team won’t be flying under any radar for the rest of the 2018-19 campaign.