Bruins’ Charlie Coyle Trade Draws Impressive Grade From ESPN

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The Boston Bruins reshaped their long-term future Friday by executing a series of trades with massive implications.

One of those pre-trade deadline deals involved veteran forward Charlie Coyle, a Massachusetts native who spent parts of seven seasons with Boston and became an integral part of the franchise.

The Bruins traded Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Colorado Avalanche for forwards Casey Mittelstadt and William Zellers and a 2025 second-round draft pick.

It’s a nice return for Coyle, who just turned 33 and is slated to become a free agent after next season. Clearly, the Bruins are prioritizing the future given their place in the standings.

ESPN graded the trade and gave the Bruins an “A” for their work, spearheaded by general manager Don Sweeney.

“The Bruins are going to go younger anyway — hence swapping out the 33-year-old Coyle for a younger player — and picking up a good prospect and pick means more now to Boston than ever,” ESPN’s Kristen Shilton wrote. “Sweeney was able to capitalize on Coyle’s value to a contending club and set his own up for a better future at the same time.”

Mittelstadt, 26, has 420 games of NHL experience with Colorado and the Buffalo Sabres, totaling 77 goals and 153 assists for 230 points.

Zellers, 18, is a prospect who has 37 goals in 40 games this season with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers. He’s slated to play collegiately for North Dakota next season.

“Mittelstadt started strong in Colorado, but his playmaking tapered off and never fully recovered to the expected level,” Shilton wrote. “A fresh start with the Bruins — who are on the cusp of searching for their own next direction — takes some pressure off Mittelstadt and gives him a chance to reconnect with the confidence that made him a coveted target last year.”

The Avalanche are in a much different spot than the Bruins, hence their desire to add a player like Coyle. ESPN gave Colorado an “A-minus” for the deal.