Charlie Coyle ready to embrace even more ‘responsibility’ with Bruins in 2024-25

"I think we can take another step forward here this year.”

PLYMOUTH — Charlie Coyle is now used to being one of the elder statesmen on the Bruins.

Once a trade-deadline pickup who helped Boston come within 60 minutes of a Stanley Cup title in 2019, the Weymouth native is now one of just five players remaining from that Stanley Cup roster.

In total, only Brad Marchand, David Pastrnak, Brandon Carlo, Charlie McAvoy, and Trent Frederic have donned a black-and-gold sweater longer than the 32-year-old Coyle.

But even at this stage of his NHL career, Coyle has seen his role evolve since entrenching himself with his hometown team.

Once tabbed as an ace third-line pivot capable of driving play and dominating matchups further down the depth chart, the retirements of both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci elevated Coyle into a featured, top-line role with Boston in 2023-24.

The returns were strong for Coyle further up on the depth chart, with the local product scoring a career-high 25 goals and 60 points over 82 games. A dependable Swiss Army Knife within Jim Montgomery’s forward corps, Coyle also logged both 1:50 of power-play reps per game and 2:28 of shorthanded ice time per contest — with the latter being tops among all Bruins forwards.

Coyle largely answered the call as a featured player up front for Boston last winter. But the veteran centerman is looking to continue to build his game and adapt to whatever tasks Montgomery and Boston’s staff have carved out for him moving forward.

“I think having another year under your belt and with [Bergeron and Krejci] gone and knowing kind of what to expect — everyone’s roles kind of changed a little bit,” Coyle said of adjusting to his elevated minutes in 2023-24. “There’s more responsibility put on some guys and I want more responsibility on my shoulders.

“That’s why you play. You want that and I got a little more of that with playing different situations last year. So that’s huge. That can only help to get acclimated with that. I want to be a guy who plays in all sorts of roles and be important to the team. We all do. … And I think we can take another step forward here this year.”

Coyle, speaking ahead of the final stop on the Bruins’ Fan Fest Tour in Plymouth, is looking forward to the upcoming 2024-25 campaign — especially after Boston allocated a hefty portion of its cap space on top free-agent targets like Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov.

While Coyle established himself as a legitimate top-six regular for Boston last winter, the absence of an true top-line pivot did sap the Bruins’ scoring punch in the postseason — with Coyle and Pavel Zacha combining for just two tallies during Boston’s 13-game playoff run against Toronto and Florida.

Adding Lindholm should alleviate at least some of that scoring burden on Coyle — slotting him down to 2C next to Marchand and potentially pushing Zacha to the wing on the top line.

Add in the snarl that both Zadorov and checking-line regulars like Max Jones and Mark Kastelic should bring, and Coyle feels as though the Bruins are well-equipped to stay off the ropes against bruising opponents like the Panthers.

“I love the signings here. A lot of the guys, Kastelic too, just add a little bit of grit,” Coyle said. “Those guys, you can never have enough of that on the team. It’s a great thing to have — guys who work hard, can play the game well. I think it’s huge. It’s going to add to our identity a little bit. … When you have 1-2-3-4 lines that can do that, wear [teams] down, it gets to be a bit much to defend.

“So we’re looking forward to that. It’s something to build on. And that’s the way we should play. That’s hockey, that’s playing the right way, and we gotta do more of that.”

A second line featuring Coyle and Marchand should still give Boston a versatile, top-way forward grouping — especially if further buoyed by a potential top line of Pastrnak, Lindholm, and Zacha.

Who skates alongside Marchand and Coyle does remain a question mark — with Frederic, Morgan Geekie, or even a blue-chip prospect like Fabian Lysell all standing as tantalizing options for Montgomery as he tries to sort through the puzzle pieces up front.

“I used to be kind of a revolving door, like playing up and down the lineup — wing, center — even when I was in Minnesota,” Coyle said. “Here, I’ve kind of been a staple which has been good. I’ve been put in a spot, so it makes it a little easier to succeed and play well. But we’ll see what happens.

“Like I said, hopefully guys step up and someone takes the initiative. We’ve all got to make the team and earn your spot. That’s the mindset. So that’s how I go into camp, and I want to earn my spot out there, and however it works out, whatever the coaches think — I’m going to play to the best of my ability, whether it’s with Marchy and whoever else is there, and we’re going to do the best we can. That’s all you can ask for.”