Charlie Coyle was irreplaceable on the CBJ roster, and they had no choice but to re-sign him

The Blue Jackets made their first big off-season move today, and it was one that many in the 5th Line were hoping to see. Charlie Coyle will remain in Columbus after signing a deal that will likely see him through the rest of his playing career.

Despite the disappointing end result from the team this past season, many felt the team had no choice but to keep the veteran third line center around. Consider yours truly in that group.

This season, Charlie was nothing short of outstanding for the Blue Jackets. He was everything we thought he would be, and then some. On the ice, he was the crafty veteran who could play capably in all situations. At 6'4", he's a rare commodity: a right-shot center that can win more than his share of faceoffs, play in a shutdown role, and chip in some offense.

Off the ice, he was a very well-spoken pro; who brought a calming influence to a dressing room that has not yet learned how to win. In a sport where everyone is hyper competitive, his cool interviews in between periods gave us a sense of comfort. Everything felt "OK" when Charlie spoke up.

In his first season in Columbus, he finished fourth on the team in scoring-just one point behind top line center Adam Fantilli. While I don't believe he will maintain that pace many more times (if ever again), it's obvious that this team is better off with him in the long run.

After all, what were the other options? Well...

Nobody was replacing Charlie Coyle in this lineup.

Lets lay out the facts here. There are maybe a dozen guys in the NHL that can do all of the things Charlie Coyle does on a night-in, night-out basis. Without looking, can you name them? Better yet, can you name any that have his size, shooting hand, experience, and leadership qualities; and cost less than his new $6 million AAV against the cap? I can't.

Now, take all of those traits and dig into the CBJ system-then tell me if there are any prospects who are ready to take on that role? Spoiler: there aren't.

The fact of the matter is, guys like this are really hard to find. To even acquire him in the first place, Don Waddell had to give up a highly touted prospect and two solid draft picks. That was after a down season in Colorado, where things just didn't work out. And, he had to take on the Miles Wood contract to do it.

Coming into Columbus with fairly low expectations was one thing. But Charlie did not just live up to those expectations. He blew them out of the water, posting one of the best seasons of his career. He earned a lot of attention around the league, because he became a bit of a unicorn this year. I would say he was one of the best third line centers in the league, and that doesn't even feel like a stretch.

This summer, the free agent market is going to be really thin. In a rising cap world, more and more teams are choosing to re-sign the guys they know long-term. This meant that Charlie Coyle might have been the best player to hit the open market.

That pretty much dictated him getting whatever term he wanted. To be honest, getting him at a $6 million AAV is pretty tidy work by Waddell. I'm excited that Charlie and his family chose to stay in Columbus.

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