Preview of Brian Boyle in Tampa Bay Lightning

After five seasons with the New York Rangers, Brian Boyle signed a three-year contract with Tampa Bay Lightning for a total of six million dollars. This may have occurred in July, but it still disappoints me that Boyle will not be apart of the Broadway Blueshirts this season. Nevertheless, I’m sure Rangers fans, including myself, will be curious to see how he does in his new team. According to the Tampa Bay Times, Boyle has had his sights on Florida for a while, especially since former teammate Ryan Callahan became a Bolt in the Marty St. Louis trade. “It was his perspective… I could really trust because he’s been through the same thing and he’s moving down there and he was raving about it,” said Boyle, “So obviously I took his word for it.” Many fans believed he would go to the Montreal Canadiens where former Ranger and teammate, Brandon Prust, currently plays. Others believed he would return to the Los Angeles Kings, but if he really did that he would irritate a lot of Rangers fans in light of the past finals.

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So how will Brian Boyle do in Tampa? Well, he’s back at center. Boyle was moved to the leftwing under Alain Vigneault’s system and I don’t think that was the best thing in the world to Boyle. At the end of the season, he expressed that he wanted more responsibility according to Dan Rosen, Senior Writer for NHL.com. More responsibility is exactly what Tampa coach Jon Cooper is going to give him. I expect to see more time on the ice, and thus more points, for Boyle with him being back at center where he prefers to be. Also, chemistry with the other players should come naturally. He has previously worked with Callahan (who recently signed to stay with Tampa for another six years for $34.8 million) and Anton Stralman (who signed just hours before Boyle did), so a transition from the Rangers is likely to be a smooth one. Furthermore, Boyle will add major size to his new team, leaving the Rangers with a big deficit.

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Boyle leaving the Rangers will definitely leave an impact; The 6 foot 7’ forward, weighing 244 pounds, was the largest player on the team. With that much size, he provided a lot of defense, especially against the more physical teams such as the Boston Bruins. The only other player that comes close to that size is prospect Kevin Hayes at 6 foot 5’ weighing 225 pounds. He impressed in Traverse City but can he do the same in the regular season? It would be logical for Vigneault to put him in games against larger and stronger teams, but I doubt the 22-year-old is capable of making checks and exchanging blows in the NHL as well as Boyle has done.

What are your thoughts of Brian Boyle’s transition to Tampa? Leave a comment below.