New Jersey Devils: Can We Expect More From Brian Boyle This Season?

Brian Boyle was the emotional leader of the New Jersey Devils, and without his inspiration the team would likely not make the playoffs. With everything he dealt with last season, is it possible he could outdo his production this year?

Brian Boyle was the hero of the New Jersey Devils season. There’s not much else to say that hasn’t already been said. He was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia right before training camp. It was an awful way to start his career with the Devils. However, doctors caught it very early and he was able to avoid chemotherapy. He still played as many games as possible, which is the reason he won the Bill Masterton Trophy.

While Boyle dealt with his health, he missed the first 13 games of the season. Obviously, his numbers would have looked a little better this season if he played those games. He’s the kind of player that doesn’t miss more than a week during the season with injury. That’s the luxury of being 6’7 250 pounds.

Boyle took a few games to get accustomed to playing after fighting his cancer diagnosis. In December, he went insane on the ice. Boyle scored seven goals with four assists in that month alone. He had serious momentum and a fanbase behind his every move. Boyle became an NHL sensation, and it was the first time the Devils were given national attention this season.

However, Boyle’s point production fell off from then on. Boyle scored one goal in January and one assist in February. That’s it.

Luckily, Boyle’s point production dropped as soon as Taylor Hall‘s picked up, but it would have been nice to keep getting points from the fourth line.

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Realistically, Boyle’s body had to be tired. He was fighting cancer while playing a full hockey season. That has to take a serious toll. You have to give the man credit for going out there every single night, but Boyle’s production dipped and it’s hard not to question whether what was happening to his body affected his game at all.

This season, Boyle won’t have to deal with those issues. Honestly, I don’t know the status of Boyle’s cancer. One would think that he’s feeling much better right now. It will be a full year since his diagnosis once the season starts. Boyle will likely feel about as normal as possible. From what I’ve seen, CML is not something that goes away, but something that needs to be controlled with medication for good.

Boyle has a high likelihood to do even better this season that he did last year. He probably won’t hit the peaks that saw him scoring 20 goals for the New York Rangers, but his upside is close. 17 goals and 10 assists is not out of the realm of possibility. If he meshes with his teammates as well as he did last season, his point production will go up. Even if the Devils take him off the power play, he could still end up with more points overall.

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