This Boston Bruins forward has the potential to build off his career year.
Heading into the 2023-24 season, there were plenty of questions surrounding the Boston Bruins. They lost several key players from their historic 2022-23 roster, but none more notable than legends Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Due to their cap space issues, the Bruins were not in a position to bring in proven top-six centers to replace them, so they needed internal options to step up.
Charlie Coyle did just that, as he thrived in his first season as a top-six center for the Bruins. The Weymouth, Massachusetts native not only excelled in the more significant role but put together the best season of his 12-year NHL career. In 82 games, he posted new career highs with 25 goals and 60 points. In addition to his strong offensive season, Coyle was impactful with his physicality, recording 131 hits - the second most of his career.
Charlie Coyle
© Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports
Overall, Coyle's 2023-24 season was a home run, and his goal this upcoming season will be to build on that success. When looking at how well he performed last season, perhaps he could even get his numbers up a bit more next season if he stays healthy.
Even with the addition of Elias Lindholm down the middle, Coyle is projected to once again be in the Bruins' top six next season. With Jake DeBrusk and Danton Heinen leaving Boston, last season's top-line center, Pavel Zacha, will likely switch back to left wing. With this, Coyle stands out as a prime candidate to be Boston's 2C yet again in 2024-25. Thus, he should be in a position to succeed yet again.
It will be very intriguing to see what kind of season Coyle puts together for the Bruins in 2024-25. He has the potential to have another successful campaign.
