Another day, another trade.
The Columbus Blue Jackets swung a trade with the Colorado Avalanche in the hours before the 2025 NHL Draft on Friday, acquiring center Charlie Coyle and winger Miles Wood.
The deal was first reported by TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
In exchange, the Avalanche are receiving a third-round pick this year (77th overall), a conditional second-round selection in the 2027 NHL Draft, and prospect Gavin Brindley.
The condition on the second-round pick in 2027 is that it can be the lower of Columbus’ two current selections: their own, as well as the pick acquired in last year’s trade of David Jiricek to the Minnesota Wild.
Brindley, 20, played 52 games this past season with the AHL's Cleveland Monsters, scoring six goals and adding 11 assists. He was a second-round selection out of the University of Michigan in the 2023 NHL Draft.
The deal gives a boost to the middle six of the Blue Jackets' forward group.
“Charlie is an experienced, two-way player that adds size and versatility to our group,” said President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Don Waddell. “Miles is one of the fastest skaters in the NHL who provides great energy and physicality."
Coyle, 33, has one year remaining in a six-year, $31.5 million dollar contract that carries an average annual value of $5.25 million this season. He began the 2024-25 season with the Boston Bruins before being traded at the deadline to the Avalanche. Between the two teams, Coyle scored 17 goals and had 18 assists for 35 points in (a rare) 83 regular season games.
In 950 career regular season games, Coyle has 189 goals and 296 assists for a total of 485 points, an average of 42 points per 82 games played.
A native of Weymouth, Massachusetts, Coyle brings good size (6'3", 215lbs) up the middle for the Blue Jackets. He's also got a nice scoring touch, with five straight seasons with 15+ goals and 35+ assists (minus the Covid year). The addition of Coyle also gives the Blue Jackets a right-shot center, which they previously did not have.
The acquisition of Wood, who will turn 30 in September, gives the Blue Jackets a bottom-six winger. He has 91 goals and 91 assists (182 points) in just over 500 career games.
Limited by injuries, Wood — a native of Buffalo, New York — picked up just four goals and added four assists in 37 games this season. His career high of 19 goals came in the 2017-18 season, the same year he had a career-high 32 points.
The 6'2", 195lb Wood has four years left on his contract, with an average annual value of $2.5 million per year. He spent the last two seasons with the Avalanche after playing for the New Jersey Devils during the first eight years of his NHL career.
According to NHL.com's EDGE analytics, Wood's 24.82 miles per hour top skating speed this season was the highest recorded in the NHL's era of puck and player tracking.
Both players will bring a veteran presence to the group, which could be a telltale sign as to what the Blue Jackets intend to do with pending free agents such as Sean Kuraly.
As of Friday afternoon, the Blue Jackets still own two selections in the first round of Friday night's NHL draft: the 14th and 20th overall picks. The draft is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
