Heading into the 2023-24 season, all eyes were on the Bruins center position after Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci hung up their skates for good. The Bruins would be without Bergeron for the first time in twenty years, leaving plenty of question marks down the middle. They knew they had Charlie Coyle and Pavel Zacha to take the reins, but it remained how effective these two, especially Coyle, would be in their increased roles.
Now more than halfway through the season, it is safe to say Coyle has embraced his new role on the team as he is on pace for a career year. With every passing shift, he has risen to the challenge and looks more comfortable as the top-line center.
This has been on full display recently as he is riding an eight-game point streak with four goals and eight assists, showing that he has the tools to be reliable in the offensive zone while still being one of the strongest penalty-killing forwards on the team.
Head coach Jim Montgomery will be the first to tell you how Coyle’s personal development continues to grow, especially now more than ever in his second season as Boston’s bench boss.
“I see someone that wants to take over games and control games,” Montgomery told reporters, per the team. “But, there’s also a difference in his attitude. You can just see the swagger and confidence he has.”
Coyle has always been a hard worker, which is evident since he came to Boston after seven years with the Minnesota Wild. While his hard work has never really translated to the stat sheet, every Bruins fan and teammate knows what Charlie Coyle means to this team, and what he does for this team goes beyond goals, assists, and points.
“The more you contribute, the more confidence grows, and you just keep riding that,” Coyle told reporters, per the team. “I always just tried to play the right way and do it for the team and I play with some good linemates, some good players and play the right way and you hope you get rewarded for it. You hope the team gets rewarded for it. That’s the main thing.”
In 49 games this season, Coyle has scored 18 goals and added 24 assists for 41 points. He is three goals shy of his career high. The way he has been playing for the Bruins, there is little doubt he will eclipse his previous numbers this season.
Coyle has been a major part of why the Bruins have found success, as they are currently tied with the Vancouver Canucks as the best team in the NHL with 71 points heading into All-Star weekend. Coyle and the rest of the Bruins will now have ten days off to rest up before they return to action on Feb. 6 when they host the Calgary Flames at TD Garden. The Bruins will look to maintain the success they’ve had through the first 49 games of the season as they try to secure the number one seed in the Eastern Conference for the second straight season.
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