Boston Bruins: Fantasy hockey sleepers

Charlie Coyle

Charlie Coyle was a first round pick in 2010, but he never reached his ceiling with Minnesota. Even after the trade to Boston, Coyle struggled in the regular season. He only had six points in 21 games with the Bruins.

Coyle, however, really turned it on in the postseason. He centered Boston’s third line with Danton Heinen as his left wing. In this role, Coyle had nine goals and seven assists in 24 games.

Expect Coyle to continue this pace and have the best season of his career in 2019-2020. First off, he won’t have to adjust to a new system or a new role. He comes off a half season and a full training camp with Boston, so there’s really nothing new for him to learn.

Second, Coyle again will anchor Boston’s third line. He’ll likely play with Danton Heinen and either David Backes or Karson Kuhlman. Coyle also could see some power play time on Boston’s second unit.

In this third line role, Coyle will likely face favorable matchups all season. Opposing teams need to match up their top defensemen with the Bergeron line. Coyle should dominate bottom-six forwards and third-pair defensemen.

Coyle only hit the 20 goal mark once in his career. In a full season as Boston’s third line center, Coyle is likely to score 20 again. He also could chip in with 30 to 35 assists.

One final thing to note: this is a contract year for Coyle. He definitely wants to show Boston he deserves an extension.