Charlie Coyle signed a six-year, $36 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday. It has an average annual value of $6 million.
The 34-year-old center had 58 points (20 goals, 38 assists) in 82 games with the Blue Jackets this season, his first with them after being acquired in a trade with the Colorado Avalanche on June 27, 2025.
“I’ve seen what we have,” Coyle said. “I’ve seen our potential and I’m excited for it and it’s something I want to be here for and work towards and the team we have, the depth we have, it’s something that excites me and something that I want to be a part of going forward, and something that we can build because it’s there. I know it’s there.”
Coyle could have become an unrestricted free agent July 1.
“When you go back to last year when we made the trade for Charlie, we said we were looking for a right-hand shot center and certainly we were happy to make the trade,” Blue Jackets general manager Don Waddell said. “But then having Charlie all this year, getting to know him as a not only as a player, but as a person, we knew that he cares about the team, cares about winning, and cares about the community so when we met at the end of the season and talked to all the players, Charlie was very clear that if there’s that opportunity and we can work it out, he’d like to stay.”
Columbus (40-30-12) finished six points behind the Philadelphia Flyers for third place in the Metropolitan Division and seven back of the Ottawa Senators for the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Eastern Conference.
“We’ve come up short last year, this past year, of course,” Coyle said. “Everyone knows that it’s there, but we’ve made strides and I know we’re going to continue to do that and I’ve grown to love these guys. Love Columbus, and it’s a great place for my family and start to raise my kids as they move on and start school and all that stuff. We love living here.”
Waddell said he had no hesitation about signing Coyle through his age-40 season. Coyle has not missed a game in the past five seasons.
“I think the last five years, he’s played more regular season games than anybody, because he actually played an extra game when he got traded to Colorado (in March 2025), played 83. So very durable, takes care of himself tremendously,” Waddell said. “And we all age differently. We see a lot of players that are still going at that age so there’s not a reason, barring something that we can’t predict, that Charlie keeps himself in that condition, that he’ll be able to play through this contract.”
Selected by the San Jose Sharks in the first round (No. 28) of the 2010 NHL Draft, Coyle has 543 points (209 goals, 334 assists) in 1,032 regular-season games for the Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, Avalanche and Blue Jackets and 53 points (26 goals, 27 assists) in 126 playoff games.
“I love playing here,” Coyle said. “Having (coach) Rick Bowness back, that adds to it too. Didn’t know much about him before this year. Had him for a half a year, and I love what he brought. Loved his energy and I love what he’s done in just a half year. He was here with limited opportunity to fully do what he does, so I’m pretty pumped to see what a full year of ‘Bones’ will do for us and I want to keep playing for a guy like that.
“But yeah, the underlying thing is this is a place that we can win, and I see that potential and I didn’t want to leave that.”
Coyle missed the playoffs this season for the first time in his 14-year-career.
“It’s unfortunately the first year in Charlie’s pro career that he’s missed the playoffs and I know at the end there it was tough on him,” Waddell said. “He let it be known with the guys and said, ‘Hey, this isn’t good enough. We’ve got to make sure we come back prepared to take that next step.’ So, I think his leadership is through his presence, being in the room, and what he’s done in his career, on and off the ice.”
NHL.com independent correspondent Craig Merz contributed to this report
