Bob McKenzie of TSN reports that the New Jersey Devils will likely sign Brian Boyle, and that it will be a two-year contract. The deal is worth $2.55MM per season. Pierre LeBrun of TSN adds that the Toronto Maple Leafs, Boyle’s former team, did not make an offer.
The 32-year-old center had been a bottom-6 center for the Tampa Bay Lightning for several years before they traded him at the deadline for Byron Froese and a second round pick in the 2017 draft. He was having one of his better season for the Lightning at the time, scoring 13 goals and nine assists in the first 54 games of the season, which almost equals his totals for the previous two. However, partially dealing with an injury, he struggled fitting into the Maple Leafs lineup and only tallied three assists in 21 games.
At 6-foot-6 and 245 pounds, the physical forward could be of major use to a young Devils’ squad. The big center even scored 21 goals for the New York Rangers in 2010-11. His specialties—defense, faceoffs and penalty killing—will be a big boost to the Devils as they look to return to relevancy. Hoping to compete for the playoffs this year, Boyle brings ample experience in the postseason with multiple teams.
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