The Minnesota Wild and Boston Bruins have linked up on a trade today, sending Charlie Coyle back to his home state of Massachusetts in return for Ryan Donato and a fifth round pick.
We correctly predicted earlier in the day that the Boston Bruins were in for Charlie Coyle, with Ryan Donato even mentioned as a potential option to join up with the Minnesota Wild.
The deal ends Charlie Coyle’s stint with the Minnesota Wild and he’s been a valiant foot soldier the whole time, offering a steadying and consistent presence and averaging thirty to forty points a year for the side.
Ultimately though, his low cap hit combined with his size and of course that consistent point production made him a very solid option to be traded and it was always bound to happen this season with new Minnesota Wild General Manager Paul Fenton wanted to remove pieces brought in by previous regimes.
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In acquiring Ryan Donato and a fifth round pick, the Minnesota Wild haven’t done half bad on this trade. Obviously, a fifth round pick is never any guarantee but there have certainly been plenty of steals over the years that low down the draft board.
Ryan Donato is four years younger than Charlie Coyle and comes in at a much lower cap hit, thus freeing up cap space for other potential deals.
He comes with a very strong NCAA reputation, averaging over a point per game in his time with Harvard. Since debuting in the NHL, he hasn’t quite set the world on fire with the Boston Bruins but has certainly shown plenty of potential.
His debut campaign last year, saw him net 5 goals and 4 assists for a total of 9 points in just 12 games, before appearing in 3 playoff games and not producing any points.
This season, Ryan Donato has split time between Boston in the NHL and the Providence Bruins in the AHL. His AHL totals see him averaging just over a point every second game, whilst his NHL totals leave a bit to be desired with a point every fourth game.
Charlie Coyle, who is headed the other way, has been producing at a rate of a point every second game in the NHL.
Obviously, it’s hard as a Minnesota Wild fan to say goodbye to a player with longevity on the team, but Ryan Donato seemingly has untapped potential.
It’s easy to imagine him slotting right into Charlie Coyle’s spot on the second line and jumping back to his Harvard form. That’d be the hope anyway!
With any luck, this move is the first sign of the Minnesota Wild committing to getting younger, faster and slightly more future-proofed. With any luck, you’ll see him slot in alongside Luke Kunin on a line that runs purely on youthful exuberance.
If the trio of Charlie Coyle, Luke Kunin and Zach Parise‘s form earlier in the season is anything to go by, we can only hope that Ryan Donato is a straight swap in for the Minnesota Wild and a new line can start producing!
Interesting times are ahead for the Minnesota Wild, especially if there’s more trades coming up that don’t see the team fleeced.