Something was visibly off for Charlie Coyle in 2021.
He lacked burst in his skating stride and was getting worked off pucks to a surprising degree given it's usually a strength of his game.
Turns out, he needed knee surgery.
The Boston Bruins center underwent knee surgery to repair "an avulsion fracture in his left kneecap and a small tear of the patellar tendon" earlier this offseason. The expectation long was for him to be ready when training camp starts, which will be in mid-September, and it appears that remains the case.
"I didn't really know what to expect (with the surgery)," Coyle said Wednesday during NESN's telecast of the WEEI/NESN Jimmy Fund Radio-Telethon. "You listen to your doctors and trainers, and all that and see timelines. But yeah, I'm doing great. I've been doing great from the start.
"I got on the ice for the first time today, which was an awesome step. Felt really good. But I've been in the gym, doing my (physical therapy), all that stuff every day. Just trying to make sure I'm doing things the right way so I can finally put this thing behind me and be firing on both legs."
Coyle will have the opportunity to replace David Krejci on the Bruins' second line, and getting his knee right is an important step in the right direction.
