The New Jersey Devils have not ruled out an opening-night return of veteran free agent signee Brian Boyle, reports Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. This is a noteworthy development because Boyle was recently diagnosed with a chronic myeloid leukemia, a bone marrow cancer that is “largely treated with medication.”
The Devils open up the season at home against the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday October 7th. Boyle has not joined practices yet, but coach John Hynes says that Boyle should be ready to go if he can get a full week of intense practices before the 7th. Hynes is confident that Boyle will return in time for opening puck drop.
The Devils signed Boyle to a two-year, $2.75MM a year deal in the offseason. Last season Boyle played with the Tampa Bay Lightning before being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for an abbreviated playoff drive. In 75 games Boyle scored 13G and 12A, but no goals and only 3A in his final 21 regular season games.