Charlie Coyle and the Minnesota Wild have announced today that they have come to terms on a five-year, $16 million contract extension. The new deal has an annual average value of $3.2 million per year.
The 22-year-old center was acquired by the Wild in June of 2011 as a part of the deal that sent Brent Burns to the San Jose Sharks. Coyle was originally drafted 28th overall by the Sharks in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
While he never played a single game for the Sharks organization or their farm team, Coyle spent his time playing for Boston University and the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL. After being traded to the Wild, he suited up for the AHL’s Houston Aeros during the lockout year. He played 47 games before getting called up and sticking with Minnesota for 37 games, notching eight goals and 14 points.
Since then, he has been a regular fixture in the Wild’s line up, playing 70 games in 2013-14, putting up a career-high 12 goals and 30 assists. He has played in four games thus far in the 2014-15 season registering one goal and two points. He now has 21 goals and 46 points through 111 games in the league.
Coyle was expected to be a restricted free agent after his original entry-level contract ended in the offseason of 2014-15. However, Chuck Fletcher, general manager of the Wild, opted to lock up Coyle long term, which will keep the promising forward with the team until at least 2019-20.
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