Is there a right and a wrong answer when it comes to how best to maximize Charlie Coyle’s skills on this Bruins club?
Well, not exactly.
The 2019-20 season, to the surprise of very few, has been another success for the Bruins. And yet, the Atlantic Division leaders have still been plagued by the same lineup flaw that has hampered the club for years now — with a vacancy to David Krejci’s right looming large over the club with the trade deadline steadily approaching.
Coyle’s versatility has been a great asset to the Bruins in an area marked with so much uncertainty this season.
The Weymouth native might have started his first full season in his regular spot at third-line center, but his role with this club has become much more fluid as the months have progressed — and more top-six candidates come up short.
When it comes to 5v5 ice time, Coyle has spent most of his reps alongside third liners in Danton Heinen (226 minutes) and Anders Bjork (213 minutes). But when needed, Coyle has slotted up into the top-six, logging plenty of minutes next to Jake DeBrusk (178 minutes) and Krejci (108 minutes).
Having a bottom-six center with the ability to play up in the lineup and alter his game on the wing is a great luxury to Bruce Cassidy and the Bruins — and the results haven’t been all that bad when No. 13 has skated alongside Krejci.
In the 108:37 of 5v5 ice time that Krejci + Coyle have skated together, Boston has generated:
- A 112-88 edge in shot attempts
- 56-43 edge in shots on goal
- A 6-1 advantage in goals scored
Pretty good stuff, and precisely what the Bruins need out of a second line that is going to be tasked with supporting the team’s top line come the postseason — during which the Marchand-Bergeron-Pastrnak trio can expect plenty of hefty minutes and daunting matchups against both opposing top-six units and physical checking lines.
But — even if his promotion might be what’s needed to slap a band-aid on an inconsistent second line — could keeping Coyle outside of his familiar spot at center actually be doing more harm than good?
When we spoke with
Don Sweeney
back in August, he harped on the need for the Bruins to get Coyle entrenched in a regular role.
“
I think it’s a combination. I believe … we went out and identified that a third-line center role would balance our hockey club. But there are times, late in the year, where we bumped him up,” Sweeney said. “I think Charlie’s more comfortable when he’s put in a particular spot, plays to his strengths. That’s what we’d like to do. Maybe that’s dictated by who the next guy is — pick a guy.
“(Zach) Senyshyn, (Karson) Kuhlman
on the wing,
(Brett) Ritchie
on the wing. And then you look at the (
Trent) Frederic
s of the world. It all depends on who wants the other spots. Who’s ready to take advantage of it? The good thing is that Charlie is able and capable of doing both and we’re going to put him in a role — we talked to him when he first got here.
Entering Thursday’s game against the Jets, the Bruins have lost 186 man-games due to injury, with Boston unable to size up both Kuhlman and Senyshyn due to their extended time on the shelf.
With Ritchie and Krejci not exactly gelling either (one goal scored in 43:28 of 5v5 TOI together), the onus has often fallen on Coyle to give Krejci’s line a shot in the arm.
You can’t argue with the production generated in that top-six role, but Coyle’s play on the third line was also paying positive dividends for the B’s.
When paired with
Anders Bjork
and
Danton Heinen,
Coyle and Boston’s third line has often been a keep-away machine with the puck against opponents, with the B’s only surrendering two goals in their 67:57 of 5v5 ice time together.
With Coyle using his size and puck-possession skills to overpower lesser competition in the bottom-six, the Bruins could have a major mismatch come the postseason — similar to how the Heinen-Coyle-Johansson line feasted for most of Boston’s playoff run last spring.
Of course, if Boston wants to keep Coyle in the middle, it will have to find a solution in the top-six, and soon.
For now, Bjork appears to be the next man up on the second line. Even if a DeBrusk-Krejci-Bjork trio was rather ineffective on Tuesday against the Predators,
— with
Boston holding a 7-2 edge in shots on goal to go along with a 5-0 advantage in scoring chances in the 4:52 of 5v5 TOI where the Heinen-Coyle-Ritchie line was deployed.
But if Boston wants to get its lines all pulling on the same rope come the postseason, dealing for an established top-six winger seems like the best move — allowing Coyle to play at his natural position while giving him a plethora of wingers for him to work with in Heinen, Bjork, Kuhlman, Senyshyn and others.
Of course, dealing for a winger is easier said than done, especially for a Bruins team up against the cap.
As such, don’t be surprised if Coyle is again logging minutes on the wing later this season — with Boston perhaps opting to call up
Jack Studnicka
to fill in as 3C.
But whatever route the Bruins eventually take when it comes to Coyle’s role, it would be advantageous for all parties to stick to the gameplan when a decision is finally made.
Yes, there may not exactly be a right and a wrong answer when it comes to getting the best out of Coyle on this Bruins team. But, as Coyle noted back in September, consistency might just trump everything else when it comes to putting oneself in the best position to succeed.
“It’s really big. It’s really big for my game,”
. “I’ve always kind of been switched around a lot. It’s just, you can’t ... there’s no consistency there. Sometimes, your game falls out of consistency. And it’s not to throw it completely on that, but it definitely plays a factor, I think.
“I think you started to see last year, in the playoffs, I had my set position — I know where I am, night in and night out. I just prepared for that and you know, for the most part, who your linemates are and that helps a lot, too. I think it really helped all of us when you have that. You just know what to expect. You’re not going in, unsure of this, unsure of that. You’re prepped for it, you get your mind right and you go and you play.”
