When Charlie Coyle was acquired alongside Miles Wood in exchange for a young & talented prospect in Gavin Brindley, and two valuable picks, there was a lot of buzz around the Union Blue faithful, and the national media at large.
Many felt that it was a premium price to pay for a right-shot center on the back nine of his career, and a speedy winger that hadn’t contributed much else in his career. While we’ll be discussing Wood another time, suffice to say: Coyle was everything the Columbus Blue Jackets needed him to be, and even more.Â
Coyle finished the year with a 20-38-58 line while playing over eighteen minutes a night, a career high. The 38 assists were also the highest of his career, and the 58 points were just two shy of a career high set during the 2023-2024 season of 60.Â
Early on, the veteran center found a great line combination with fellow Blue Jackets Cole Sillinger and Mathieu Olivier, and the trio became the mainstay in the CBJ lineup across both head coaches this season. Their grit, toughness, penchant for solid defense against tough matchups, and surprisingly solid scoring touch became vital to the Jackets’ roster makeup through the campaign.
Per Moneypuck, the Sillinger-Coyle-Olivier line was one of just 15 forward lines in the NHL this season to play over 415 minutes together, and they dominated their time together. The trio was a +12 while on the ice, posting 27 goals scored and 15 goals scored against. This 64.3% Goals % far outpaced their xG%, 52.9%, proving that the expected numbers aren’t always perfect.
The question has to be asked now: what happens next for Charlie? Don Waddell elected to hold onto the Massachusetts native through the trade deadline despite the haul he would’ve likely gotten for the veteran center.
But now, Coyle has missed the playoffs for the first time in his long career and is facing an uncertain offseason. He is a pending unrestricted free agent come July 1st, and as of the writing of this article, has not yet signed an extension to stay in Columbus.Â
Charlie has expressed a desire to stay in Columbus, but it will matter what terms can be worked out between his agent, Robert Norton, and Don Waddell.Â
AFP Analytics, my personal go-to for contract expectations, expects a 3-year deal for Coyle at right under $6m per year. With the Blue Jackets currently possessing over $40m in expected cap space headed into 2026-2027, this kind of deal for the guy who was probably your best forward for most of the season is a no-brainer.
We’re just hoping that Coyle will end up back in Arch City heading into the next campaign.
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