NHL Trade Rumors: Minnesota Wild trade Charlie Coyle to Boston Bruins

According to the latest NHL trade rumors, Charlie Coyle, a long time member of the Minnesota Wild, has been traded to the Boston Bruins. The return is Ryan Donato and a 5th round pick for Minnesota. Here’s a quick reaction for both sides.

Charlie Coyle has been one of the most consistent members of the Minnesota Wild for the better part of the last seven seasons. He’s now moving on to become a member of the Boston Bruins. according to the latest NHL trade rumors. This report comes from TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

While the deal is not official yet, it sounds like the return is known. Going the other way is an up and coming young forward in Ryan Donato, as well as a fifth round pick. Donato is a solid prospect who’s finally getting some decent time in the big leagues but has been up and down between Boston and AHL Providence this year.

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Boston needs secondary scoring help. The offense is extremely top heavy with most of the production coming from Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak, and David Krejci. Many rumors have been looking at Artemi Panarin as a fit with the Bruins because his production would help bolster the offensive depth the Bruins need to compete this year in the Atlantic.

This trade, while it doesn’t close off the ability to land Panarin, makes things more difficult without completely mortgaging the bright future their forwards have. Additionally, Coyle has about the same production level as Jake Debrusk, which is helpful for the secondary scoring the Bruins need. It’s no Panarin, but it can’t hurt.

Coyle is a sizable forward and can play both center and wing. While his production has taken a dip over the last couple of seasons, a change in scenery could help rekindle that. Coyle is signed for both this and next year at a friendly $3.2M per season, so it shouldn’t muck up too much money for the Bruins. This way, if things don’t work out so well, he’s not dragging them down too much.

Going the other way is a 22-year-old Ryan Donato, who’s had hype coming into the season, but hasn’t defended that hype yet this year. This smells of a low sell by Boston, considering he’s had a hard time cracking the lineup. Given some time with Minnesota, considering their lineup needs a boost, this could serve as a nice change of scenery for Donato.

Donato is a pending restricted free agent this summer, and would probably be worth a bridge deal from Minnesota, depending on how things shake out after this year, and likely not more than what Coyle was making now. It’s certainly possible that Donato finds himself and starts producing well in Minnesota.

In terms of immediate thoughts of who wins this trade, I say it’s helpful for both sides. Coyle is a dependable known quantity, who can solidly fit in as a 2nd or 3rd line center for a team that desperately needs production outside their top line. Donato is a great buy low for the Wild, who are trying to shake things up and work for a better future.

Do I think it’s gonna really put the Bruins over the edge? No. Not nearly as much as Artemi Panarin would have. But it will certainly help them this and next year. Do I think Ryan Donato will regain his magic from the last couple of weeks of last year? Who knows? He’s going to be given every opportunity to do so. This deal is interesting, and it looks like it could work from both sides.