As Bruins’ new Swiss Army Knife, Charlie Coyle is adding even more value to his game - and forcing Boston into an intriguing decision

Ideally, Charlie Coyle and the Bruins would like to keep the 27-year-old forward in a defined role within Boston’s lineup.

Such a luxury wasn’t afforded to the Weymouth native last season after getting dealt to his hometown back in February, with injuries forcing Coyle to slot up into a top-six spot on the wing, away from his preferred role at the pivot. 

Last season, Coyle skated on 10 different line combinations that logged at least five minutes of 5v5 TOI together over the span of those 21 regular-season games. Even when paired next to playmaking pivot in David Krejci, the results still left much to be desired in 2018-19 — with Boston only holding a 3-2 edge in 5v5 goals when both 13 + 46 skated together in 77:07 of 5v5 TOI. 

After tallying two goals and six total points over 21 games in the regular season, Coyle exploded in the playoffs as Boston’s established 3C, tallying nine goals and 16 points —while his line, featuring both Danton Heinen and Marcus Johansson, combined for 7 5v5 goals. 

Given his contributions during Boston’s run to the Stanley Cup Final, it looked as though another experiment on the wing wasn’t going to be in the cards for Coyle during the 2019-20 campaign, barring any other injury mishaps.

“I think Charlie’s more comfortable when he’s put in a particular spot, plays to his strengths,” Don Sweeney said back in August. “That’s what we’d like to do. Maybe that’s dictated by who the next guy is. ... We wanted him to feel good about his game and thrive and he felt that center — being put there with regularity and in a defined role would help, and I think it did.”

So far, the Bruins have had no qualms about Coyle’s play on the third line, especially when paired with Heinen and another young winger in Anders Bjork — with that combination holding a 52.38% shot share during 45:36 of 5v5 TOI. 

But, much like last year, the injury bug has prompted Coyle to once again be on the move, shuffled up into the top six yet again on multiple nights.

For as much as the Bruins would like to keep him in the middle, Coyle’s versatility and style of play has proved to be a useful tool for Bruce Cassidy and his staff to shore up whatever vacancy is scuttling Boston up front — making things difficult when it comes to keeping the forward in one set spot.

The other potential “problem” when it comes to finding a consistent role for Coyle with this Bruins’ club? Well, he’s been pretty damn good wherever he’s been inserted into the lineup.



At this point, the book is more or less out on what Coyle brings as a pivot, with the BU product using his 6-foot-3, 220-pound frame to shield the puck away from opposing skaters and drive a line by extending shifts in the offensive zone. 

Cassidy believes that Coyle fills a similar role when placed on the wing — after all, his spot in the lineup might change, but his physical attributes sure don’t. But when placed next to a playmaking center like Krejci, Cassidy adds that Coyle (normally a pass-first player) could be prompted to attempt more shots on net.

“We know where his fit is at third-line center, but we don't know how his fit is on the right wing,” Cassidy said earlier this month. “We didn't see a lot of it last year, we haven't seen it a lot this year. But he's done well up there. It's going to give us something to think about if he continues to play like that, which is a good problem to have. … Maybe Charlie will be a little more shot-oriented now that he's got a centerman that likes to dish.”

For as much as Krejci + Coyle stagnated last year when it came to consistent offensive production, this year has been a complete 180 with that duo.

In the 53:39 of 5v5 TOI in which Krejci and Coyle have skated together this year, Boston has outscored the competition, 5-0, while holding an 11-4 edge in high-danger scoring chances.

That’s some dominant stuff, with the pair’s 5v5 goals scored per 60-minute rate of 5.59 outranking even the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak grouping, which has a GF/60 rate of 5.03.

With Brett Ritchie expected to miss some more time this year due to a lingering infection issue, the possibility of Coyle remaining to Krejci’s right suddenly becomes much more of a tangible scenario than previous thought. 

Tuesday’s 8-1 drubbing of the Canadiens — in which Coyle finished with a goal and a pair of helpers — stood as another example of the forward’s recent appointment as the B’s go-to Swiss Army Knife up front.

Skating at the wing yet again, Coyle allowed a much younger pivot in Jack Studnicka to focus on the strengths of his game against the Habs — fighting along the boards and retrieving pucks to extend Boston’s O-zone time while the leaner Studnicka was able to remain up high with more open ice to work with. 

Even if that new-look second line didn’t cash in at 5v5, Coyle was rewarded in the final minute of the opening stanza, forcing a turnover by Jeff Petry behind Montreal’s net and feeding the puck to Marchand in front — with the forward flipping it past Carey Price by way of a backhand for a tally. 



The wing was not Coyle’s lone new assignment on Tuesday, with the forward also replacing Patrice Bergeron on Boston’s top power-play unit. Even if Coyle didn’t primarily function as the "bumper" during his 1:07 of 5v4 ice time, he did manage to contribute — setting up Pastrnak for a one-time strike off of a crisp, cross-ice feed.



For right now, at least, Coyle seems to be sticking around in the top six, at least until Bergeron receives a clean bill of health. After that, well, who knows?

Coyle might be most comfortable playing at center, with Cassidy noting his approval multiple times when asked about the Bjork-Coyle-Heinen combination. Getting players like Heinen and Bjork contributing on a consistent basis would be a huge coup for this Bruins club, and a puck-possessing pivot like Coyle might be the best man for the job.

But, in a departure from last year, Coyle on the wing has also been quite the force offensively, while continuing to play that heavy game that wears down opposing skaters and piles more and more time on O-zone shifts.

Is there a set-in-stone answer for Coyle and the Bruins when it comes to a role that best suits both player and club? At this stage, not really — considering he hasn’t faltered in any of the said assignments.

Not ideal. But let’s be frank, it’s a good problem to have.

“I like what he’s done for that line with Bjork and Heinen,” Cassidy said Tuesday. “Like I said, he’s grabbed pucks for those guys, they’re younger guys, so they’re still learning how much can they hang on to it, when they gotta — I think he’ll do that for Jack (Studnicka) too. I don’t think it’ll change, he’s just lining up in a different spot. But I still think that we’re going to ask him to drive possession kind of metrics on that line and see how that plays out.”