When the Boston Bruins fire sale happened at the trade deadline in March of 2025, one of the players general manager Don Sweeney moved was veteran center, Charlie Coyle. He was sent to the Colorado Avalanche for a package that included Casey Mittlestadt and rising prospect Will Zellers.
Coyle's tenure in the Mile High City didn't last long, as he was traded last offseason to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The 34-year-old was going to be a free agent this summer, and some thought that he might have been the top free agent center in the open market. Those details show how thin this free agent class down the middle is.
That's not good news for teams like the Bruins, who need a top-line center. Coyle is someone who likely wouldn't have returned to Boston this summer in free agency, but stranger things have happened. On Tuesday, word slowly leaked out that Coyle was close to signing a long-term contract to remain with the Blue Jackets. That ended up being the case, and the Massachusetts native spoke as to why he re-signed in Columbus.
Former Bruins forward Charlie Coyle explain why he re-signed with Columbus
When it was announced, Coyle agreed to a six-year contract extension to remain with the Blue Jackets with an AAV of $6 million. That's actually a crazy contract that will make him 40 by the time it expires. Now, whether or not he plays out that entire contract with the Blue Jackets remains to be seen. However, during the season, there was a coaching change, and Rick Bowness was named interim coach. That's when things turned around.
Columbus became a team that looked like it was going to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs; however, they faded down the stretch and missed. Toward the end of the season, Bowness sent some messages through the media, and there were a lot more questions than answers about his future in Columbus. He was named head coach, and believe it or not, that was a part of Coyle re-signing. He stopped by the Morning Skate on SiriusXM and explained why he re-signed and wants to play for Bowness, despite his late-season outburst on his team.
"We know what he meant, and we know what he was trying to get out of it, and it was for good reason,'' said Coyle. "He cares so much, and he wants to help and make things better and move forward. That's the kind of guy I want to play for.''
Just like that, one of the top centers in the market is off the board and re-signing for a huge deal in Columbus.
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