The New Jersey Devils will see Brian Boyle make his debut tonight after they activated him from season-opening injured reserve. The team has moved Kyle Palmieri to injured reserve to make room. Boyle will be playing in his first game since being diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia just prior to the season, a condition that was caught early enough to battle with medication. Boyle was signed in the offseason to a two-year, $5.5MM contract after spending last year with Tampa Bay and Toronto.
In what should be an incredibly emotional night, Boyle will suit up against the Vancouver Canucks and is expected to play left wing on the fourth line beside Miles Wood and Blake Coleman. Amazingly, his debut comes on the first day of Hockey Fights Cancer month, in which the entire league helps to raise awareness and funds for fighting the disease. Boyle will surely be front and center the entire month, along with Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson’s wife Nicholle, who will be one of the spokespeople for the NHL’s movement.
Palmieri’s IR stint is retroactive to October 22nd, when he injured his foot in practice. As Andrew Gross of The Record reports, Palmieri hasn’t skated since the incident. While Boyle certainly doesn’t fill his shoes offensively, he’ll help fill out some of the depth that was missing in Palmieri’s absence.