Chris Johnston listed Charlie Coyle as the sixth-best player on his Free Agent big board via The Athletic on Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon, that was out of date, as Coyle signed a six-year, $36 million contract extension with the Columbus Blue Jackets. It leaves Alex Tuch, Evgeni Malkin, and Bobby McMann as the only forwards remaining in Johnston's top 10.
The Bruins feel like they need to upgrade the center-ice position this offseason, and it's unlikely that Coyle would've come back to Boston anyway, but that doesn't mean Don Sweeney wouldn't have considered bringing him back as maybe the best center available if Malkin is going to play nowhere except Pittsburgh.
The hope is that Sweeney wouldn't have given Coyle that kind of massive contract to come play the rest of his career in Boston, but anything close to that kind of commitment would've been bad for the organization. With the pressure of finding another center hanging over the front office and Coyle coming off one of his best seasons since 2023-24 in Boston, the extension at least takes away the possibility of them considering it.
What it means for Bruins, Pavel Zacha extension
Pavel Zacha can sign a contract extension on July 1. He just made $19 million over four seasons and is five years younger than Coyle. Zacha will be looking at Coyle's contract as a comparable, given their offensive output over the last few seasons, and will likely want much more, given his age and the fact that he has 20 more points over the past two seasons. Are the Bruins willing to invest $7 million+ annually in that center?
With the salary cap rising, Zacha making even $7 million annually wouldn't be the worst deal for the Bruins. However, will he be willing to take less than Elias Lindholm, who is likely going to fall lower on the depth chart than Zacha in the coming years? It could potentially take more than $7.75 million annually if that is the case.
If Zacha is going to cost the Bruins $8 million, especially given the sour taste in everyone's mouths from his subpar playoff performance, it might be worth exploring a potential trade as they did with Coyle two seasons ago.
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