The Boston Bruins made several trades leading up to March 7's trade deadline. Forward Charlie Coyle was among the notable Bruins on the move, as he was dealt to the Colorado Avalanche.
Coyle was one of the Bruins' top forwards and an incredible leader, so they undoubtedly will miss having the Weymouth, Massachusetts native around. However, at the same time, it is hard to complain about the return they got for the seven-year Bruin.
For a quick refresher, the Bruins traded Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick to Colorado in exchange for Casey Mittelstadt, William Zellers, and a 2025 second-round pick. Let's dive into why this is a good return for Coyle now.
Mittelstadt Gives Bruins Younger Center For Top Six
Mittelstadt is undoubtedly the biggest piece for Boston from this trade. The 26-year-old now gives the Bruins a more offensively-minded center who should fit nicely in their top six. He is also more than a rental for Boston, as he is signed until the end of the 2026-27 season with a $5.75 million cap hit.
Mittelstadt has had a bit of a tough season for his standards offensively, posting 11 goals and 34 points in 63 games. However, that is still better production than the 33-year-old Coyle this season, as the latter has just 22 points in 64 games. In addition, Mittelstadt has shown he can produce more when playing at his best. In his two previous seasons, he had 59 points and 57 points, respectively.
Zellers Gives Bruins Exciting Sniper Prospect
It is hard not to like the addition of Zellers. It is no secret that the Bruins' prospect pool needs serious help, and bringing in a promising youngster like Zellers is a step in the right direction on that front.
Zellers has shown at the USHL level that he has the potential to be an impactful sniper. In 41 games with the Green Bay Gamblers, he leads the league with 37 goals and is second in points with 58 points. How could the Bruins not be excited to have this 18-year-old now in their system?
Bruins Get Good Draft Pick For Coyle
The cherry on top of the Coyle return is the 2025 second-round pick. As noted above, the Bruins need to improve their prospect pool, and getting another second-round pick is a good way to try to help with that.
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