Boyes Earns Deal With Leafs

It wasn't too long after the Maple Leafs cut a couple of their tryouts on Sunday, before they signed another one. Brad Boyes, who was a part of the Florida Panthers last season, was without a job through the Summer, before the Leafs came calling, inviting him to camp. It must have been a pretty good camp, as Boyes signed a 1-year, $700,000 deal and now he has a chance to unseat one of the projected players for their lineup.

Last season, Boyes finished 199th overall in pool scoring, scoring 14 goals and 38 points in 78 games with the Panthers, which was also good enough for 137th among all forwards, definitely some pool worthy numbers.

The question quickly becomes, where does Boyes fit into this lineup, which has been devoid of some offensive talent, as soon as Phil Kessel left for Pittsburgh.  There is definitely an argument that Boyes can fit somewhere into the top six for the Maple Leafs, as he has a little bit more established offensive numbers than some of the depth they've brought in, but they'll want to be careful not to tinker too much.

With all of that being said, Boyes could be a 40-point player again, especially if he can find his way into that top six and get the minutes that job comes with.

Looking at his numbers from last season, Boyes ranks 5th among those in Maple Leafs camp in points from last year, trailing only James Van Riemsdyk, Tyler Bozak, Jonathan Bernier and Nazem Kadri.  It will be very interesting to see who he lines up with, as he could make an interesting linemate up top with JVR and Bozak, if necessary.

I don't think the Leafs will do a great deal this year, but when they do, I could be convinced that Boyes will be a part of whatever offense they push.