Charlie Coyle Is Ready To Lead The Next Wave Of Bruins

Charlie Coyle was supposed to be a core member of the Minnesota Wild. Thankfully for the Boston Bruins and their fans, the Wild could find a consistent role for Coyle and instead shipped him off to the Boston Bruins in February of 2019. Coyle has found his role in the emerging new core of the Boston Bruins and this past season, he signed a five-year contract extension after he emerged as a key player for the team during their run to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. Coyle is hoping to become not just a better player going forward but also a go-to leader in the dressing room.

“I think you always want to increase your role and get better. That’s something that I want to do,” Coyle said. “I know plenty of other guys feel the same way. That’s what good teams do.”

Part of an increased role for Charlie Coyle will come in the leadership department. That’s especially true with the Bruins veteran core’s tenure winding down.

“Those guys have been here for however many years, have been that core. They’ve won a championship, been to championships, finals appearances, and all that. They’ve done an unbelievable job,” Charlie Coyle continued. “Yeah, time is running out and we need new guys stepping up. I’m definitely in that mix as well as a few others. Everyone needs to kind of have that mindset to not just rely on what we have with those other guys. And we all know who we’re talking about. They’re all great players and have had great careers so far. It’s going to be a full team effort, as people always say.”

NEXT GENERATION

Charlie Coyle is part of a younger core group that includes the likes of David Pastrnak (23), Jake DeBrusk (23), Charlie McAvoy (22), Brandon Carlo (23) and Ondrej Kase (24). For the Bruins to maintain their success, they’ll need that group to step up. They’ll also need an even younger group to take steps.

“Even the younger guys coming in. Everyone has to take on a bigger role,” Charlie Coyle added. “Bigger responsibility. When you have that experience and you go through – whether it’s your first season or whatever, your seventh season. And in between, everyone has to pick up their game and that’s what the offseason is for. To work on things. To come back a better player. A more confident player. You have the experience. But we need to help those guys.”

Coyle admitted time could be running out for the current core to hoist another Stanley Cup and for him to win one ith them. Players like Patrice Bergeron (35), Brad Marchand, David Krejci (34), Brad Marchand (32), Tuukka Rask (33) and Zdeno Chara (43) won’t be around forever and Coyle would love to help send them off with another Cup ring.

“Yeah, time is running short right now and it’s only so much time you have to play on great teams and really utilize that. This is our time now,” he said. “We have to – if we want to make it happen, we have to do it. It goes by quick. You hear people talk about it, you experience it too. I feel like I just started the other day, but it goes by quick. You only have so many opportunities, so you have to take advantage of it.

We have to – myself, a few others, that middle group that Bruce always talks about, we have to step up and be a big part of that. That is something that I know we want to take on and can take on. Just right now, using that offseason to get better physically and all that, but mentally too. Come back and be better leaders for the team and help those guys out.”