The forward recalls the enlightening phone conversation he had with Devils general manager Ray Shero and coach John Hynes welcoming him to New Jersey after he signed a two-year, $5.1 million contract (average annual value $2.55 million) with the Devils on July 1, 2017. That was followed by the tremendous support given him by the organization after he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia on Sept. 19, 2017.
Boyle, who can become an unrestricted free agent July 1, was traded to the Nashville Predators by New Jersey on Wednesday for a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. He could make his Nashville debut when the Predators host the Dallas Stars at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FS-TN, FS-SW, NHL.TV).
RELATED: [Boyle traded to Predators by Devils | 2018-19 Trade Tracker]
"Never in my wildest dreams did I think being a Devil would mean this much to me," Boyle said. "With how [2017-18] went, how it felt the first couple of weeks to where it finished, it was just a tremendous year that I was very blessed to be a part of."
Boyle not only made it back to the lineup on Nov. 1, 2017 but represented the Devils at the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game in Tampa and was awarded the 2018 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance and dedication to hockey.
"I'm so thankful to [Shero and Hynes] for the one season-plus I had here," Boyle said. "The fans meant so much, too, with reaching out through social media. I tried to show my love back and show my appreciation and it was a huge motivator for me. It made me certainly a better player and made our time here even more special.