In the midst of a Six game winning streak, the Boston Bruins added depth to their lineup by trading for Minnesota Wild Center, Charlie Coyle. In return, Minnesota received Ryan Donato and a 5th round draft pick. This is a solid trade for both sides. Donato really hit snag toward the end of last season, which he looked to be a sure fire fit in the Top 6. This year saw Ryan struggle mightily, traveling between Boston and Providence for most of the year.
Needless to say he was struggling. Barely amassing 12 points in 18 AHL games for a guy who is labeled as a goal scorer is fucking bad. Watching him play you can tell he has a wicked shot. Problem is he doesn’t have the hockey IQ, toughness, and willingness to get to quality scoring areas. Most of his shots come from around the perimeter. I still think he could do with finishing this season in the AHL and playing a full season down there next year. Sure seems like his development has been rushed. There is still hope for him, but a good amount of time in Iowa (Minnesota’s AHL affiliate) will be needed. Who knows, maybe they plug him in right away in Minny? Can see that happening too, and in typical Bruins fashion he becomes an All Star like Seguin, Kessel, and Blake Wheeler.
As for Charlie Coyle? Not a bad addition for the Bruins by any means. He is a solid player, who can play up and down the lineup. He play Center or Wing. I do think he has been brought here to be a Third Line Center, which is one of two massive holes in the Bruins forward group.
Charlie is good for anywhere between 35-50 points a year, which will bring much needed depth to the Bruins lineup. Hopefully, Coyle has been brought in to solidify the Third Line, and NOT to be the scoring Winger the Second Line needs. We’ll see, but Don Sweeney had this to say:
Fingers crossed they are still trying to pry Mark Stone from Ottawa. They certainly aren’t going to say out loud if they are, but this is worrisome. Monday is the NHL trade deadline, which will see a plethora of moves made by Playoff contenders. I would like to think the Bruins know they need one more piece, and I can’t think of a more perfect piece than Mark Stone.
I fucking hope so. In terms of the On-Ice stuff, the Bruins continued their winning ways with a 3-2 Shootout win over Vegas last night. It’s their 7th win in a row, which has propelled them to second in the Atlantic Division. Some of the struggling youngsters such as, Debrusk, Heinen, and Peter Cehlarik are coming alive. Next matchup is Saturday in St. Louis, who have won 11 straight. Can’t wait.
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