Charlie Coyle knew Columbus Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell could have traded him near the March deadline after the center did not fully commit to re-signing with the club.
Waddell’s decision to stand pat and the team’s second-half improvement under coach Rick Bowness are two factors why Coyle is remaining in Columbus after signing a six-year extension worth $36 million.
“He kept me around to help me with sticking here and working with my teammates to try and make a playoff run. He was loyal to me, so I have a sense of loyalty to him,” Coyle said on Tuesday after the signing was announced. “He was a guy who stuck his neck out for me. I want be there for that for him and keep building on what we’ve worked on.”
The 34-year Coyle was acquired from the Colorado Avalanche last June. He was fourth on the team in goals (20) and points (58) and played all 82 games in his first season with the Blue Jackets. Along with tying a career high with 38 assists, it was the third time in his 14-year career he scored at least 20 goals.
Coyle also tied for the team lead in power-play goals (seven). He has skated in 411 straight games, the fourth-longest active streak in the league.
Coyle would have been one of the top centers on the market if he became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, which also made getting a deal finalized at the top of Waddell’s offseason priority list.
Waddell added that he received at least 10 calls the past couple of weeks from other teams wondering what the Blue Jackets’ plans were for Coyle.
“The market was going to be out there looking for him, and we just felt that he’s such an important part of our franchise moving forward that that’s how we locked up the deal,” Waddell said.
Bowness took over after Dean Evason was fired on Jan. 12 and led the Blue Jackets from last place in the Eastern Conference to six points out of a playoff spot.
Bowness led Columbus to a 21-11-5 record but the team struggled down the stretch, going 3-9-1 to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for the sixth straight season.
The Blue Jackets were 40-30-12 this past season, the first time Columbus has won 40 games in two straight seasons since 2018-19. The 92 points this season are the fifth-highest point total in club history, but the first time the team had at least 90 points and didn’t make the playoffs.
“I loved his energy and what he’s done in just the half year he was here with limited opportunity to fully do what he does. I’m pretty pumped to see what a full year will do for us and I want to keep playing for a guy like that,” Coyle said about Bowness.
With Coyle under contract, the Blue Jackets need to make decisions about defenseman Erik Gudbranson, center/team captain Boone Jenner and left wing Mason Marchment, who are their other top unrestricted free agents. Adam Fantilli, the third overall pick in the 2023 draft, is a restricted free agent in line for a lucrative extension.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do this year, but this was an important one because now we can continue to build around it knowing that we have that right shot center that we know very well, we can continue to build around the edges with it,” Waddell said.
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