The Colorado Avalanche have acquired forward Charlie Coyle and a 2026 fifth-round pick from the Boston Bruins for Casey Mittelstadt, William Zellers, and a second-round pick.
Avalanche Continue to Bolster Offensive Attack
Avalanche general manager (GM) Chris MacFarland, who already got long-time new York Islanders sniper Brock Nelson yesterday, has added another veteran to bolster his fourth-place team’s already-fearsome forward core.
Coyle, a 6-foot-3 right-shot centre/winger, has 15 goals and seven assists for 22 points for the Bruins this season. The 33-year-old has played in Boston for the past seven seasons and played for the Minnesota Wild for seven seasons prior to that; he was originally selected by the San Jose Sharks in the first round (28th overall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
In 931-career games between the Bruins and Wild, Coyle has put up 187 goals and 285 assists for 472 points and has 52 points in 119-career playoff games. He has scored 15-plus goals in six seasons including this one.
Coyle is in the fifth season of a six-year deal worth $5.5 million per year and will be an unrestricted free agent after next season.
Bruins Appear to Be Entering a Retool
Adding Mittelstadt seems to be an indication Bruins GM Don Sweeney is looking to retool his team by shipping out veterans in exchange for younger players. The Bruins have underperformed this season as a whole, sitting seventh in the Atlantic Division, and appear destined to miss the postseason. He shipped out Trent Frederic and Max Jones earlier in the week.
Mittelstadt is a dynamic centre with strong playmaking ability who has struggled a bit this season. Originally drafted eighth overall by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the 26-year-old has 77 goals and 153 assists for 230 points in 420-career games and has 11 goals and 23 assists for 34 points this season in 64 games. He set a career high in points with 59 in 2022-23 with the Sabres.
Middlestadt is in the first year of a three-year deal signed last summer worth $5.75 million per season.
Zellers, meanwhile, is a left winger selected in the third round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. The 18 year old is in his second season with the United States Hockey League’s Green Bay Gamblers and has put up 37 goals and added 21 assists for 58 points in 40 games this season to lead the team in goals and points.
Related: 2025 NHL Trade Deadline Tracker
What year the second-rounder the Avalanche have sent the Burins is was not revealed by publishing time.