The only signing the New Jersey Devils made on day one of free agency was center Brian Boyle. He may not be a big name, but he is a necessary move.
For the most part, New Jersey Devils fans hated day one of free agency, but loved the one move the team made. General manager Ray Shero signed Toronto Maple Leaf forward Brian Boyle to a two-year contract.
The deal pays him $5.1 million, which is a raise for Boyle but still a reasonable price for what he offers. The 32-year-old center provides something that killed the Devils last season; depth in the bottom six.
Boyle won’t wow the pants off anyone, but he plays a pivotal role. He will score 12-15 goals from the third or fourth line. He will play good defense, something the Devils need from their forwards.
It only helps that this provides another layer to the Devils-Rangers rivalry. He spent five seasons on the other side of the Hudson River before signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014. Boyle said on a conference call that he’s angered the Rangers crowd while wearing a blue sweater, now he can do it as the opponent.
Boyle remembers being booed by MSG crowd both as Ranger and as opponent: Now a Devil: "I don't mind pissing off that crowd."
— Andrew Gross (@AGrossNewsday) July 1, 2017
Full disclosure, Boyle was a bit of a disappointment when the Maple Leafs acquired him at the deadline. He only had three assists in 21 regular season games.
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The expectations for Boyle are low. He’s no longer the player who scored 21 goals in his first season with the Rangers. The Devils expect just what they are getting, a giant center (he’s 6’6, 245 pounds) who will keep the bottom six grounded and score goals enough to take some pressure off the top six. He will help the team on the penalty kill, a stat the Devils used to be very good at but fell to 23rd in the league last year.
He’s going to win in the faceoff circle, as well. He ranked 32nd among all centers in the league with a 52.2% winning percentage. The only current Devils with a better percentage was Travis Zajac, who ranked 20th in the league.
Boyle doesn’t win the Devils the offseason, but he makes this team better. After a terrible season last year, that’s all fans can hope for.