Charlie Coyle has been recovering from offseason knee surgery that hindered his ability to reach his potential the last few seasons, but it appears he will be a full-go for the Boston Bruins' regular-season opener on Oct. 16.
The center was limited to begin training camp at Warrior Ice Arena two weeks ago. Coyle shed the red non-contact jersey at the beginning of this week, and the Bruins will keep him out of the lineup Thursday night in their preseason game against the Philadelphia Flyers at TD Garden.
Many starters will play, but proceeding with caution when it comes to Coyle makes sense. And not playing Thursday isn't likely to impact Coyle suiting up when the Bruins begin their season against the Dallas Stars, according to Boston head coach Bruce Cassidy.
"We anticipate Charlie will be ready (for the opener)," Cassidy told reporters Thursday. "We've talked about that, that Charlie will most likely slot (in the second line) to start, but the more games that Jack (Studnicka) can get reps with those top-six guys, so to speak, and see where he's at, the better off he'll be.
"He may get moved around depending on a lot of things, his play first and foremost, which was good the other night in New York. He's off to a good start. He's one of those guys, this is an important camp for him."
Studnicka has impressed during camp and very well could make the roster to begin the season. Coyle figures to center the second line following David Krejci's departure.
Thursday will be the first time this preseason fans will get a look at some of the Bruins' bigger names, like Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand. They'll also see newcomers Nick Foligno and Erik Haula.
