Boston Bruins General Manager Don Sweeney has done a good job of signing players on team-friendly contracts since taking the position in 2015. Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, and Patrice Bergeron have all taken less than market value over the years to help the Bruins remain competitive and cap compliant. Now, with Bergeron retiring and the Bruins up against the salary cap due to large deals for Pastrnak and Charlie McAvoy, Sweeney has to be a bit more creative while transitioning the roster to a new core.
Many of the current player deals are fair heading into the 2023-24 season. But which one is the worst? Is there one that is really hampering the team going forward? The Bruins were able to trade away Taylor Hall’s $6 million price tag this off-season. That contract wasn’t terrible, but it would have been in the running after a season where the 31-year-old former number-one overall draft pick totaled just 36 points.
Nick Foligno made a case for last season’s worst contract at just under $4 million per season for 26 points. The veteran left wing is now a $4 million player with the Blackhawks. Defensemen Derek Forbort and Matt Grzelcyk were the subject of trade talks recently but still remain in Boston. Their contracts aren’t great, but not restrictive, with just one year remaining on each.
So that leaves the worst contract on the Bruins roster, center Charlie Coyle. Coyle is a good third-line center. The Weymouth, Massachusetts native totaled 45 points last season in 82 games with a plus-29. But his $5.25 million contract still has three years left, and he can also submit an 8-team no-trade list until 2025. This is a case where the player is serviceable in his role, but Coyle has registered over 50 points once in his career (2016-17), and with Bergeron and David Krejci not returning, there is a likelihood that Coyle will be the second line center in 2023-24. There just isn’t enough offensive production there.
In 62 playoff games with Boston, Coyle has 32 points. During the Bruins’ Stanley
Finals run in 2019, the 6-foot-3, 225-pound forward was terrific, with nine goals and seven assists in 24 games. Coyle is an excellent possession player who has improved defensively as well. Again, good player, but the contract isn’t great.
Heading into the 2023-24 season, the Bruins have almost $9 million locked into goaltenders, but it’s Charlie Coyle’s contract that is a little out of bounds. If the season takes a turn for the worse, it’s possible Coyle could be shopped at some point this season or the next off-season.
Season 4. Episode 39. The Off Season – Bruins Benders Podcast
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Ah yes, they’ll for sure shop him this season without a replacement at the C position. Great analysis.