If Wednesday’s debut for Charlie Coyle was a 'work in progress’, Bruins should be thrilled

No Bruin might be feeling the weight of expectations quite like Charlie Coyle in 2021. 

As far as optics go, the Weymouth native hasn’t had a whole lot working in his favor over the last year.

A six-year contract he inked back in November 2019 has raised expectations — with a subpar 2021 campaign (a byproduct of an ailing knee and a scuttling supporting cast on the third line) making him a conduit for criticism. 

An … eventful offseason for Boston only raised the stakes for Coyle in 2021, with the 29-year-old given the unenviable task of stepping into David Krejci’s shoes and driving a second line that’s integral to the B’s even-strength offensive capabilities. 

Another thing working against Coyle? Precious, precious time. 

Going under the knife this summer to repair both an avulsion fracture in his kneecap and a slight tear to his patellar tendon can only lead to fruitful returns for Coyle. A bounce-back campaign is in the cards for Coyle if he can regain his ability to hold onto the puck with authority and power past skaters — a staple of his game that was weakened last year with his faulty knee. 

But in order to fully thrive in a top-six role and put last year’s struggles in the rearview mirror, Coyle is going to have to spark chemistry with a pair of wingers — one of whom he logged a whopping 10 minutes of 5v5 ice time with last season. 

And all he had was 60 minutes of preseason action to spark said chemistry on the ice. 

Limited to just Boston’s preseason finale against the Capitals on Wednesday due to an extended recovery from his offseason knee procedure — Coyle was going to have to learn on the fly when it came to adjusting to a speedier weapon on his left in Taylor Hall, not to mention shake off the rust from his own individual game. 

Not exactly an ideal situation for a guy who could determine just how potent Boston’s top-six unit can really be in 2021. 

Postgame, Coyle offered the expected prose from a guy still weighing the good/bad from the first legitimate reps of game action after a summer off.

"It's a work in progress … you just want to make sure you're doing the right things,” Coyle said following Boston’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Capitals. “I thought we had some decent plays and definitely some stuff to build on. It's a start, but we definitely have a ways to go and I think that's a good thing.”

Indeed, it is a good thing for the Bruins. Because if the Coyle they saw on Wednesday was still a major "work-in-progress", the B’s have a lot to be excited for when it comes to brewing up another lethal second line in the post-Krejci era.

The stat sheet sure signaled a strong showing from the Hall-Coyle-Smith line — with both Coyle and Hall lighting the lamp off of second-effort putbacks from the blue paint.

But the eye test offered even more assurances for Bruce Cassidy and his staff when it came to both Coyle’s health and the opportunities afforded to the pivot with both Hall and Smith flanking him on the ice.

There may not have been any signature Coyle shifts in which the veteran stretches out an opposing defense by conducting a game of “Keep Away” in the offensive zone — but the Weymouth native showcased a bit more jump in his skating, be it in transition play or down in Grade-A ice.

“He looks more fluid,” Cassidy said of Coyle. “There were some nights last year Charlie didn't look like himself. And we would talk to him and he's a hockey player, right? So he's like 'Well, I'm OK.' And the medical staff would tell you, he's got a bit of a — you know now he had a bit of a knee issue and they said he's just gonna have to play through it, because once he gets it fixed, that's it. 

“So he did. I think obviously more games will show you his pace, maybe it can get back up there or the recovery or the power — all those things. Tonight's only one game, but it's a good start for him.” 

A byproduct of those signature “Keep Away” shifts is a whole lot of puck possession from Coyle, but Wednesday also showcased the different wrinkle that a winger of Hall’s talents can offer on that line. 

Sure, Coyle is a pass-first pivot — but during arguably his best stretch as a Bruin during the 2019 playoffs, he excelled by adopting a shot-first mentality. 

With a skilled playmaker in Marcus Johansson on his line, Coyle was able to defer a bit more from puck duties and planted himself down low for Grade-A looks — a recipe for success during Boston’s Cup run that spring (nine goals, 16 points in 24 playoff outings). 

Hall offers a similar (and more impressive) skillset in that his knack for holding onto the puck and threading passes into tight spaces could force Coyle to simplify his game down the middle, leading to quality chances and steadier production for all involved. 

"Well, with Charlie, I think for years we've encouraged him to shoot a little more, he does have a good shot. It's not his first thought," Cassidy said. "So whether Taylor brings the best out of him in that regard, I just hope they play good and create good offense together, however, it turns out. If Charlie ends up being true to himself and hanging on to pucks longer, hopefully Taylor finishes and Smitty on his wings, right? So whatever works for them.

“But at the end of the day, yeah, we'd like to see Charlie shoot a little more. But if he kicks that out and he's a good passer and Taylor's able to hang on to it like he does and kind of freezes people or gets around people and Charlie's going to the net like on that goal, then great.” 

(Of course, you'd like to see Coyle bury this one here, but this is another encouraging play in which the pivot can defer to a playmaker of Hall's caliber and play off his pass, rather than try to generate a look off of his own individual efforts — the latter was the case during many frustrating stretches last year.)

Now, are the Bruins suddenly expecting Coyle to pot 30 goals with Hall as the primary set-up man on Line 2? Nope. 

But unlike last year, in which Coyle was weighed down by both an ailing knee and a lack of playmaking talent around him, both a clean bill of health and two proven top-six talents in Hall and Smith seem poised to bring the best out of his game.

For the first time in a long time, things seem to finally be working in Coyle's favor.