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| SBNation |
The Nashville Predators have acquired center Brian Boyle from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a 2019 second round pick.
For the Predators, they acquire center depth in Boyle, who can score goals, but most importantly, brings a defensive and tough game. For a bottom six center who is a UFA after the season, the price tag was pretty rough, but it could end up being a bargain if Boyle re-signs.
Boyle, 34, has scored 13 goals with six assists for 19 points in 47 games for the Devils this season. The best year of his NHL career came in 2010-11 with the New York Rangers, when he scored 21 goals and 14 assists for 35 points in 82 games. In his NHL career for the Devils, Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs, Boyle has scored 119 goals and 92 assists for 211 points in 740 games.
For the Devils, after making the playoffs in Boyle\’s first year with the team, they have struggled this year and are at the bottom of the Metropolitan Division. That means trading your pending UFAs, which for them included Boyle. They get what will probably be a late second round pick, which could be an NHLer if you scout and draft well.
CarterHud 