The Columbus Blue Jackets and forward Charlie Coyle have come to terms on a new 6 year, $36M contract extension the club announced on Tuesday.
Coyle, who was set to become a free agent this offseason, will now be tied to the club through the 2031-32 season at a reasonable $6M AAV. The 34 year old posted 58 points (20G, 38A) this season, and showcased his versatility by spending time on the team’s penalty kill and power play.
“If you go back to last year when we made the trade for Charlie, we said we were looking for a right-hand shot center. Certainly, we were happy to make the trade, but then having Charlie all this year, getting to know him not only as a player but as a person, we knew that he cares about the team, he cares about winning and cares about the community,” general manager Don Waddell said.
“As a potential free agent, the market was going to be out there looking for him. The player expresses that he would like to stay here and we certainly wanted the player to stay here. So when you get in that situation, yeah, maybe there’s a little bit more money out there, but maybe it’s a place that Charlie didn’t want to go to.”
The Blue Jackets were reported to have fielded numerous calls inquiring about Coyle’s free agent rights, but both sides were keen to come to terms on a long term solution.
Originally selected 28th overall by the San Jose Sharks back in 2010, Coyle has spent time with the Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, and Colorado Avalanche before joining Columbus this year. A veteran of over 1,000 NHL games, the 6’3″ centre has amassed 209G and 334 assists over a 14 year NHL career.
His best season offensively came in 2023-24 with the Bruins when he posted a career high 25 goals and 60 points. Coyle has appeared in 126 NHL playoff games to date, scoring 26 goals while adding 27 assists along the way.
The East Weymouth, MA native has shown remarkable durability, appearing in all 82 games 9 different times while in the NHL. Columbus will hope that string of good health continues as his new deal will take him into his age 40 season.
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