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Again on the move, Brian Boyle is traded to Predators
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- Again on the move, Brian Boyle is traded to Predators
The Nashville Predators have secured a bottom-six upgrade for the stretch drive.
As first reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie , the Predators have acquired veteran centre Brian Boyle from the New Jersey Devils for a second-round draft pick.
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Boyle, 34, has appeared in the postseason in each of the last eight years, including consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning in the springs of 2014 and 2015, respectively, as well as shorter playoff challenges with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Devils.
For now a rental, Boyle will add to Nashville's centre depth — an area that had been exposed in the postseason previously — but he's not had a particularly strong season despite already matching his best goal output from the last half decade with 13 already.
His possession numbers are down, and overall influence minimized, on a Devils team that simply hasn't been competitive this year.
Still, he has the ability to move around the lineup and support the talented six in Nashville, wears many hats and does have some scoring pop, making him a valuable commodity to the Predators — one of several teams with legitimate Stanley Cup aspirations this spring.
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Boyle brought some stability to the fourth line of the Maple Leafs two seasons ago when he was acquired for the same price that Nashville just paid. His most significant contribution in the short, six-game postseason run against the top-ranked Capitals was a gorgeous no-look assist on Kasperi Kapanen 's Game 3 winner in double overtime.
Nashville will hope he still has some of this magic in him.
We won't see Brian Boyle in these sweet threads again. (Getty)
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