Should The Rangers Bring In Dan Boyle?
At the age of 37, Dan Boyle is still attracting interest from many teams across the board as July 1st comes ever so closer. The New York Rangers are one of the teams with deep interest in the veteran defenseman from the sunny state of California.
With Anton Stralman on the cusp of becoming a free agent, someone will need to fill that void if Stralman was to leave and go elsewhere. Although Raphael Diaz is in the mix, he does not have the caliber and experience that Boyle does.
Boyle’s cap hit in 2013-14 was $6.6 million, and he just finished a major 6-year, $40M contract. Word on the street however shows that he is willing to take a paycut so long as the offer comes from a true contender, the Rangers are now considered one of those.
If he would be willing to accept a two or three year deal at $5 or $6 million total, I would tell Glen Sather to get on the phone and try to work something out.
The Rangers’ powerplay faltered at many points throughout the regular season and most importantly in the playoffs, Boyle has been a consistent offense force for years, especially on the man advantage. He has averaged about 4 PPG per year in his entire career so far in the NHL.
Here’s a sample of what he can do:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8yzIupyL9o
His defensive side of things is good, nothing special, but good nonetheless. He could be considered more of a offensive-defenseman, which is something the Rangers are desperately in the market for.
His main weakness right now is his age, as he gets older, injury can play a huge factor, as well as his agility and stamina. He would definitely average 20 minutes of ice time per game or even less than that.
Boyle may not seem like the best fit for New York, but he would sure help out a lot at even strength and on the powerplay. He would fit in nicely on the second pair with Kevin Klein or the third pair with John Moore.
At the moment, Ryan McDonagh is the closest thing the Rangers have to a good, puck-moving defenseman, bringing in Boyle would be able to cut McDonagh some slack and take some of the pressure off of him, which could bring success to NY.
Of course, this is all talk until we find out definitely what happens with Stralman. At the moment, we know that talks haven’t been going as planned, and he may test free agency when the window opens. If that happens, it opens the door for Boyle, and could give the Rangers a shot to compete for the Stanley Cup for the second year running.
Verdict: YesÂ
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