The Blue Jackets are officially in business, with their first move of the offseason dropping Tuesday morning. Veteran center Charlie Coyle has re-signed for six more years at $6M AAV.
Coyle was acquired from Colorado last offseason, along with Miles Wood, to play the role of a lock-down third line center, while giving the Jackets right-handed center for some strategic flexibility. To say he delivered would be an understatement; 20 goals, 58 points, over 18 minutes of ice time per game, and playing all 82-games for the fifth consecutive year. He flourished on a line with Cole Sillinger and Mathieu Olivier until the latter got injured; that line was essentially the Jackets’ second line through most of their spring resurgence.
Coyle is 34 years old, so this contract will take him (barely) into his 40s. A bit long, but that’s the UFA market for ya. The $6M cap hit on a $104M cap is the same as a $4.7M hit pre-Covid for those concerned about price tag.
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