After being bought out late in June, there were some who didn’t expect enforcer Jared Boll to quickly resurface with a new team. However, less than a week later, Boll signed a two year, $1.8MM deal to join the Anaheim Ducks. His whirlwind couple of weeks continued as just four days after signing, he got married as well. Boll opened up about his offseason in an interview with AJ Manderichio of the Ducks’ official website.
On being let go by Columbus and signing with Anaheim:
“At the end of the season and the beginning of the summer, I wasn’t expecting this. It was a total change for me, a surprise. When I let it all sink in, I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of this organization and finally get out there.”
Anaheim’s surprising decision to hire Randy Carlyle for a second stint as head coach helped play a factor in Boll choosing to join the Ducks as well:
“He always has tough, hard teams to play against, and that fits my game perfectly. That was another huge reason why I was so excited to come to Anaheim. He’s proven he can win. He won a Cup there a few years back, so it will be nice to get there, learn the system and play the way he wants to play. I think it fits my game really well.”
Carlyle’s teams in the past have routinely deployed enforcers (such as Colton Orr and Frazer McLaren with Toronto and George Parros and Shawn Thornton in his first stint with Anaheim) so it’s easy to see the allure for Boll.
Last season, the 30 year old played a sparing role with Columbus, suiting up in just 30 games while recording three points and 61 penalty minutes. He also sits ninth in the NHL in penalty minutes among active players. The Ducks don’t have a ton of depth up front so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him play more of a regular role on the fourth line than he did with the Blue Jackets last season.
[Related: Ducks’ Depth Chart]