Charlie Coyle, the local kid among the Bruins' fall from grace

Charlie Coyle was having a dream season with the Bruins.

As Boston was on its way to the regular season record books, the hometown kid had his best year in the Black and Gold since coming over from Minnesota in 2019, putting up 16 goals and 45 points (the second-highest total of his career) in 82 games to go along with a career-best plus-29 rating. 

The 31-year-old shouldered a larger defensive role, especially on the penalty kill, where he logged 210:25 of ice time, the second-most on the kill of any Bruins skater, shattering his previous career high of 134:16 from last season. It was his best year at the face-off dot, going 52.6 percent at the dot (536-for-1,019). 

Coyle's 56:09 on the man advantage was by far his lowest in a full 82-game season since becoming a full-time NHL player. But his minimal role on the power play was no matter, as did nearly all of his damage at even strength (15g, 25a), centering one of the NHL's best third lines, particularly at 5-on-5, with Taylor Hall and Trent Frederic. The remaining five points (1g) came in shorthanded situations. 

As the regular season wore on and injuries hampered Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci around playoff time, East Weymouth's own got an extended look as a top-six centerman. A strong start to the series with the Florida Panthers culminated in a physically dominant Game 3, where Coyle asserted his will on Aleksander Barkov in front of the net for a critical goal. His teammates invoked the terms animal, beast, monster and even goblin to describe where his game was at.

But he finished the series with just a goal and an assist. At 5-on-5, Florida outshot the Bruins, 51-56, and out-chanced them 53-50 (28-18 high-danger) with Coyle on the ice, per Natural Stat Trick. The Cats outscored Boston, 9-4, with Coyle on in all situations (4-4 during 5-on-5) while his line fought to sustain traction as the series wore on. 

As he and any other Bruin will tell you, that dream came crashing down far too quickly and inexplicably. 

"It feels like a nightmare, to be honest, and you just wish it would end," Coyle said during Tuesday's breakup day at Warrior Ice Arena, trying to sum up his thoughts after Boston bowed out in Game 7 of the first round. "You just replay stuff over and over in your head. You know, we could have closed it out here and we could have closed it out there. But it's how it happened, and it's unfortunate. You wish you could go back, but you can't. The only thing you can do now is we learn from it and grow from it."

Coyle, of course, grew up cheering for the Bruins. Like most other young hockey players in the area, he dreamed of playing in "quite a few" Game 7's for the B's. Whether it be the organization's shortcomings during his younger years or the collapses in 2019 or just this season, Coyle is in the unique position of understanding the feeling of the highs and lows both as a fan and now as a key player on the local team. 

Charlestown's Matt Grzelcyk is in the same rudderless boat floating down the Charles, "You never want to let such a good opportunity go to waste and unfortunately that’s what happened.”  

Whether it be a jaunt to his local Dunkin', a grocery trip or taking his two golden retrievers out for a stretch, Coyle is used to the chatter he shares with the local rooters.

"I mean, there's a little bit of everything, you know, taking the dogs to the dog park and talking to people there," Coyle said. Neither he nor them, however, expected to be asking 'what now?' this early in the spring. 

Boston athletes continually mention how the local faithful are endlessly supportive but quick to let them hear it when things aren't going well. It's a rite of passage, and Coyle knows both sides, especially these days.

"Most people are kind, and that's what's great is the support," Coyle said. "People are always supporting, no matter what, through the good and the bad. There's always going to be people who kind of beat the other way, but there's more good than bad out there. If you're lucky enough to play here, you get that support no matter what.

"The people understand. They understand that... Yeah, they all want to win too. We want to win. We want to win for everyone. You know, it sucks. There's no easy way of talking about it and going through it, but to get the support from around here, it's been so great. So we're very appreciative of that."

As Coyle was coming up the ranks through Thayer Academy, the South Shore Kings and Boston University, Bergeron and Krejci were establishing themselves as cornerstone pieces of the franchise. Once again, the latter two find themselves pondering what's next, whether in life or in hockey. On top of everything else, it adds another miserable element to the first-round calamity that befell the Presidents' Trophy winners.

"Yeah, it's... It's tough," Coyle said as he tried to collect his thoughts. "They mean so much. From watching them and playing with them. You feel really lucky. You do. I don't have the words for what those guys mean to us, to the team, the organization, the city and beyond. It’s pretty remarkable what they’ve done, and the careers they’ve had. To get a chance to just watch them and then, an honor to play with them and be in the same locker room. Learn from those guys and be a part of their great careers. It’s pretty special. That’s why you want to make the most of those opportunities.

"That’s what’s hard. That’s what’s hard to swallow. We wanted to make the most of this and do it for those guys. Have them go out on a winning note. That was the goal. It was there. But it doesn’t take away from what those guys have done, their careers, and what they’ve done for everyone around here. Those guys are unbelievable players, unbelievable people. I know people around here are very lucky. I think they know they’re lucky that they have those two. That they’ve had them for so long and what they brought. They’re just very special. They’re very special people.” 

Whether or not one or both is back next season remains to be seen. There could be one or two center jobs open in the top-six in addition to the voids that may need to be filled in the locker room. Like this season, Coyle will be expected to take on more responsibility both on and off the ice. He feels ready for the challenge, showing flashes as he moonlighted in that role down the stretch.

“It’s hard to replace those two. You really can’t. It’s, I guess, me being in the center position, it’s a big responsibility," he said. "But it was a big responsibility for all of us. Everyone kind of chipped in and did their part. That’s what we do. That’s why we’re a good team, is our depth and the people who can step up and take on that responsibility when you have guys of their caliber who are out of the lineup. You’ve got to take pride in that. That’s what you want to show, is what we’re made of, and what we can do. That can build confidence within guys and within our team to know that we can handle that and do that. But it takes everyone. I just try and do my part and do the best I can. It’s always an opportunity when you are in that position, so you just want to make the most of it.”

Few are better at using their body in puck battles throughout the dirty areas of the ice. Barkov learned as much in Game 3. Nick Foligno said after that contest, “When [Coyle] puts his body into guys, there’s not anybody in the league that can defend him."

Even outside his increased responsibility in the lineup, Coyle got a taste of setting the example this season with Frederic to his right. The former first-round pick took a leap with career-bests in goals (17) and points (31) alongside Coyle and Hall. 

The three only played 16:52 together at 5-on-5 in the postseason, likely among the lineup decisions Jim Montgomery might want back from the first round in addition to splitting up Bergeron and Brad Marchand in Game 5. The latter he mentioned following Game 7. 

In the minute sample size, Hall-Coyle-Frederic out-attempted Florida, 21-18, and outshot them, 9-7. Coyle and Frederic only played together for 3:25 together in all situations during the playoffs, but Boston still managed a 7-1 advantage in shot attempts, a 5-0 edge in actual shots and a 4-0 margin in scoring chances (2-0 high-danger) with them on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick.

In the regular season, the returns were comparable. When the trio was fully together for 189:28 of play, the B's had a 53.68 percent share (204-176) of shot attempts and a 55.44 percent hold (107-86) of shots. The Bruins outscored opponents 12-5 (70.59 percent) and had significant advantages in scoring chances (117-81; 59.09 percent) and high-danger looks (49-31; 61.25 percent) when they were on the ice.

For Coyle and Frederic in particular, the Bruins outscored teams by 67.5 percent (27-13) in 478:12 that they were together. High-danger goals were 73.91 percent (17-6) in their favor.

"It was awesome [playing with Coyle and Hall]. I think we all brought something different to the table," Frederic said. "They're two really nice guys, and I got along with them easy. If you make a bad play or something, they're picking you up. That part made it easy. I had a lot of fun playing with them, and I think I had my most successful season."

The 6-foot-3, 214-pound Frederic has taken notes from his similarly-sized counterpart, Coyle (6-foot-3, 223 pounds), trying to utilize his size more in an effort to become hard to contain along the boards. He was more confident in the offensive zone, looking to create more plays and chances. Coyle, in particular, was impactful on the growth Frederic had this season.

"A lot," Frederic said of how much Coyle affected his development. "I mean, he's just a good person. He's one of my best friends, I'd call him. So, I've gotta give him a lot of credit. He takes care of me, like all over the place, on the ice and off."

Off the ice, now, is where the work begins for Coyle as he and the Bruins attempt to turn the page from Sunday's culmination of a slow-motion collapse in the final three games of the series.

“You kind of learn more and more as you go, processing things, taking some time, getting away a little bit  and kind of resetting," Coyle said. "If you are dealing with stuff, just physically taking care of your body and letting your body rest, making sure you’re ready to go. Get in the gym again. Get skating again. Work on your game, just that usual stuff. 

"You always want to be playing. We wish we were still playing. That’s an obvious thing. Right now, you turn it into a positive. We have more time to prepare for next year. You want to do it the right way and take advantage of this opportunity here to get better and use your time wisely."

He just wasn't expecting it to be so early in the spring, "Unfortunately, there’s plenty of time to do that, but we got to make the most of that.”