Player Discussion Charlie Coyle

Prediction: Charlie Coyle as the #1 center (#1 center meaning he gets to play with either 63 or 88)

  • He will thrive as the 1c.

    Votes: 5 3.9%
  • He will be a serviceable #1c.

    Votes: 23 17.8%
  • He's terrible (big minus player) but they keep him there because they don't have better options.

    Votes: 8 6.2%
  • He will be the 2c and not get to play with 63 or 88.

    Votes: 46 35.7%
  • He will be the 3c by Xmas if not sooner. Charlie Coyle is not a top6 C.

    Votes: 53 41.1%

  • Total voters
    129
  • Poll closed .

Yeti34

Registered User
Apr 13, 2013
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Tampa
no. Philly, Ottawa, Nashville & Minnesota all worse off the top of my head. Montreal in the conversation too.

Coyle & Zacha have their limitations and Coyle especially is best fit as a 3C but let's not pretend both guys aren't competent reliable centers. Philly & Ottawa way worse by comparison. Nashville replaces Duchene with ROR who has to go back to carrying a mediocre team like he was failing to do in St Louis last year.

Bruins need another top 6 C but they have time. Advantage they have over other teams lacking C depth is 2 elite wingers, 2 #1 goalies and the best D in the NHL.
I’d trade all of our centers for Stutzle.

Josh Norris and Shane Pinto are also arguably better than Coyle and Zacha. Both are younger and have more upside.
 
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loosemoose

Registered User
May 31, 2020
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Coyle & Zacha have their limitations and Coyle especially is best fit as a 3C but let's not pretend both guys aren't competent reliable centers. Philly & Ottawa way worse by comparison.
If Norris can come back to form with good health he's better than any center Bruins have, and their 21-year old number one center just had a 90 point season. I'll give you Philly, but then again that's a team contending for 1st overall pick. Bruins have by far the worst center group of any team that fancies themselves as a playoff contender.
 

Mr. Make-Believe

The happy genius of my household
If Norris can come back to form with good health he's better than any center Bruins have, and their 21-year old number one center just had a 90 point season. I'll give you Philly, but then again that's a team contending for 1st overall pick. Bruins have by far the worst center group of any team that fancies themselves as a playoff contender.
I’ll add… I’m not pretending Zacha isn’t a reliable Center. We have no idea yet if he is or not. I suspect he will prove himself to be, but so far in his career, he’s been an inconsistent winger. Far from a reliable C.
 

Absurdity

light switch connoisseur
Jul 6, 2012
11,487
8,178
Coyle won't be the number one center because he won't be centering Pastrnak. Semantics aside, if we are looking at him being the #2C purely from a points production standpoint:

Last season 5vs5 stats:
Coyle: 82 - 15 - 29 - 40
Bergeron: 78 - 16 - 21 - 37
Krejci: 70 - 12 - 32 - 44

No one on this team can replace Bergeron and Krejci, but I don't think it's far off to say Coyle can probably score 50+ pts next season with Marchand and DeBrusk on his line especially if he gets more time on the powerplay.

With that said, there are still three major questions with Coyle playing in the top 6 next season. Will he have line chemistry with Marchand, DeBrusk or whomever he is playing with in the top 6? Will he be able to match up against other teams' top 6 centers and at least not look out of place? Will he be consistent enough to play in a top 6 role? I guess time will tell.
 

PlayMakers

Registered User
Aug 9, 2004
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Medfield, MA
Coyle won't be the number one center because he won't be centering Pastrnak. Semantics aside, if we are looking at him being the #2C purely from a points production standpoint:

Last season 5vs5 stats:
Coyle: 82 - 15 - 29 - 40
Bergeron: 78 - 16 - 21 - 37
Krejci: 70 - 12 - 32 - 44

No one on this team can replace Bergeron and Krejci, but I don't think it's far off to say Coyle can probably score 50+ pts next season with Marchand and DeBrusk on his line especially if he gets more time on the powerplay.

With that said, there are still three major questions with Coyle playing in the top 6 next season. Will he have line chemistry with Marchand, DeBrusk or whomever he is playing with in the top 6? Will he be able to match up against other teams' top 6 centers and at least not look out of place? Will he be consistent enough to play in a top 6 role? I guess time will tell.
I’ve been pushing those numbers all summer but nobody seems interested.

What makes them even more impressive, is that Coyle did that with 60% DZ starts and lesser talent/production on his wings.
 

UncleRico

Registered User
May 8, 2017
9,400
12,268
no. Philly, Ottawa, Nashville & Minnesota all worse off the top of my head. Montreal in the conversation too.

Coyle & Zacha have their limitations and Coyle especially is best fit as a 3C but let's not pretend both guys aren't competent reliable centers. Philly & Ottawa way worse by comparison. Nashville replaces Duchene with ROR who has to go back to carrying a mediocre team like he was failing to do in St Louis last year.

Bruins need another top 6 C but they have time. Advantage they have over other teams lacking C depth is 2 elite wingers, 2 #1 goalies and the best D in the NHL.

Ottawa center group is significantly better than the bruins. Stutzle, Norris and pinto is a much better group than Zacha, Coyle and geekie and it’s not even particularly close.
 
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KillerMillerTime

Registered User
Jun 30, 2019
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Minnesota fans I'm sure said that for years too.

At some point we have to admit he is who he is.

Best we can hope for is a Haula like fit where the line works well enough in the regular season to get us into the playoffs.

But just like with Haula I feel Coyle would get caved in when line matched against an Aho type

I have been a huge Coyle fan, but he isn't a top 32 center in the NHL. Never has and never will be.

He is in that 58-70 range of centers, who depending on health, can be considered a 2C league wide. However when you raise the bar to PO as you have alluded, he isn't a 2C either.
 
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RussellmaniaKW

Registered User
Sep 15, 2004
19,729
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If Norris can come back to form with good health he's better than any center Bruins have, and their 21-year old number one center just had a 90 point season. I'll give you Philly, but then again that's a team contending for 1st overall pick. Bruins have by far the worst center group of any team that fancies themselves as a playoff contender.
yes, my bad, I was thinking Stutzle is a winger (which he still plays at times). We'll see about Norris and whether or not he can get back to form
 

mjhfb

Easier from up here
Dec 19, 2016
2,581
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A thousand miles from nowhere
With that said, there are still three major questions with Coyle playing in the top 6 next season. Will he have line chemistry with Marchand, DeBrusk or whomever he is playing with in the top 6? Will he be able to match up against other teams' top 6 centers and at least not look out of place? Will he be consistent enough to play in a top 6 role? I guess time will tell.
This has always been the concern. He shows flashes of real greatness for stretches, and then weeks later you're checking the game sheet because you can't remember if he played.
You're right, time will tell.
 

KillerMillerTime

Registered User
Jun 30, 2019
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This has always been the concern. He shows flashes of real greatness for stretches, and then weeks later you're checking the game sheet because you can't remember if he played.
You're right, time will tell.

That's been his MO his entire career. He played in the top 6 as a RW in Minnesota and had his best year there but he didn't really sell the staff there he was a true top 6 player.

If Coyle had just the vision of Krejci, he would be a 2C and an upper half 2C, but unfortunately its not a strength of his game at all.
 
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Kegs

Registered User
Nov 10, 2010
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That's been his MO his entire career. He played in the top 6 as a RW in Minnesota and had his best year there but he didn't really sell the staff there he was a true top 6 player.

If Coyle had just the vision of Krejci, he would be a 2C and an upper half 2C, but unfortunately its not a strength of his game at all.
Coyle is absolutely a second line centre. We have just been spoiled with an insane centre core for so long. At one point it was savard, krecji, Bergeron. That’s 3 #1 centres.
 
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goldnblack

Registered User
Jun 24, 2020
3,395
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How many of you heard his appearance on Morning Bru recently? If not you should:



I'm honestly amped for his season, it sounds like he is too. I didn't realize the state of his knee the last 4-5 years. It's really good to hear he's 100% healthy now. He sounds totally ready to take the next big jump, and I thought he looked the part in the preseason.

I'm putting this here for a bump later:

24 goals 38 assists 62 pts, which is like a Hertl/Suzuki/PLD peer group for outputs (and definitely top 6 caliber)

It's a very David Krejci type season, fwiw. But i think he'll shoot more than Krejci would.
 

4ORRBRUIN

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Sep 27, 2005
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He couldn't get separation to save his life last night and his line mates suffered for it

I would say its early but he is what he is. A great third line center on a strong center team.
 

JHockey14

Registered User
Mar 7, 2008
279
652
CT
Marchand and JDB looked a lot better the few shifts they got away from Coyle. Put him in the 3C spot and leave him there
 

DKH

Worst Poster/Awful Takes
Feb 27, 2002
76,817
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Best scenario Poitras good - jumps in and centers top line

Frederic- Coyle - Geekie

Big strong high end third line

Lucic - Beecher - Lauko

That’s a very good bottom 6 top 5 overall
 
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PlayMakers

Registered User
Aug 9, 2004
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Geez, I thought Coyle had a good game.

He led all centers in Dzone face-offs and Dzone starts. He was on the ice for 19 shot attempts for/10 against. He could easily have had a 2 point night with no power play time, but; 1) Marchand whiffed on the open net set up by Coyle, 2) Marchand passed to Pasta on the empty net (moving the second assist to McAvoy).

He plays every game like the first one the points will come and the plus/minus will climb.
 

Kegs

Registered User
Nov 10, 2010
4,074
4,874
Geez, I thought Coyle had a good game.

He led all centers in Dzone face-offs and Dzone starts. He was on the ice for 19 shot attempts for/10 against. He could easily have had a 2 point night with no power play time, but; 1) Marchand whiffed on the open net set up by Coyle, 2) Marchand passed to Pasta on the empty net (moving the second assist to McAvoy).

He plays every game like the first one the points will come and the plus/minus will climb.
I liked coyles game. I actually thought Boston was pretty dominant. Fourth line was dominant. Third line had a lot of looks. First line scored. Second line was very effective. Gryz looked really good. I even saw him take a slap shot.
 
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LSCII

Cup driven
Mar 1, 2002
50,911
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Central MA
I’m not surprised he’s been bumped down to 3c I am surprised it happened so fast.
Why? Least surprising thing ever to me. He’s shown multiple times now that he’s not a top 6 player. The problem isn’t him, it’s the organization trying to make him something he’s not because they failed to prepare for Bergeron and Krejci’s retirements
 
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Yeti34

Registered User
Apr 13, 2013
3,182
1,603
Tampa
Why? Least surprising thing ever to me. He’s shown multiple times now that he’s not a top 6 player. The problem isn’t him, it’s the organization trying to make him something he’s not because they failed to prepare for Bergeron and Krejci’s retirements
I’m surprised the organization was so quick to make the right move is all.
 
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