You can't fault the New York Islanders for trying, but since the San Jose Sharks made it public that Dan Boyle was not going to be re-signed, when he goes to unrestricted free agency on July 1st, there may have been some itchy trigger fingers out there to try and get his services.
On Thursday afternoon, it was announced that the Islanders have dealt a conditional 2014 5th round draft pick to the Sharks for the rights to the 37-year old rearguard, giving them ample opportunity to legally talk contract with him. If Boyle does decide to sign with the Islanders, the 5th round pick then becomes a 4th round pick.
The Islanders were able to sign Jaroslav Halak to a new deal after acquiring his rights from the Washington Capitals, saving his time and effort on the free agent market, so with Halak already in tow and John Tavares & company already making strides in their improvement as a hockey club, it may be enough to entice Boyle to sign.
In the 2014 season, Boyle finished 34th among all defensemen in pool scoring, picking up 12 goals and 24 assists in 75 games for the Sharks. Boyle would automatically add that veteran player that the Islanders should be looking for in the off-season, something I outlined in my prediction for the Islanders for the coming season. Boyle would be a huge home run in this case.
In San Jose last season, Boyle came in with a cap hit of about $6.7 million. I don't see Boyle demanding quite as much as that, but I wouldn't be surprised if he hovered around the $5 million mark, although Marek Zidlicky, of the same age and a higher point total in 2014, only signed for $3 million on Tuesday. Boyle finished 6 points less than Zidlicky, but he could also look to a future teammate, Lubomir Visnovsky, who will have a cap hit of $4.75 million and is also 37 years old. "How much do the Islanders want Boyle in their line-up?" will be the determining factor of their offer.
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