In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, Brian Boyle is prepared to help the Panthers in the postseason, Aleksi Saarela continues to impress, and "Wild Bill" is honored with helmet stickers.
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -Brian Boyle knows he skipped a few steps the first time around.
Missing out on a traditional training camp after going unsigned during the NHL's annual free agent frenzy this past summer, the 35-year-old center was thrust right into action after joining the Florida Panthers on a one-year contract just a few games into the season back in October.
"No disrespect, but I was playing with a junior team," Boyle said of his preseason tune-up.
Still, despite having spent the majority of his offseason working with a Tier III Junior A team in the United States Premier Hockey League, Boyle didn't skip a beat, producing 15 points (six goals, nine assists), 34 blocked shots and 65 hits in 39 games after arriving to the Panthers.
That being said, with almost a week of the team's "Return to Play" training camp at the Panthers IceDen already in the books, Boyle said he's been enjoying getting a taste of what he'd missed.
"Getting these reps in will be huge, starting again and getting the systems to be put in place," Boyle said. "It's going to be a lot more beneficial than, 'Hey, here's one practice, here's a video of what we do' and then morning skate and a game against Pittsburgh. That's how I started."
Initially re-joining the team for small-group workouts during Phase 2 of the NHL's "Return to Play Plan," Boyle said he's been able to take things a bit slower after hitting the restart button.
"It's been a lot easier just knowing the guys," Boyle said. "Having the pause, then staying in touch with everybody and then coming back, I don't feel like a new guy. It's sort of my first camp here. I missed one, so I needed one anyways."
With 114 playoff games and two trips to the Stanley Cup Final under his belt, Boyle is expected to play an integral role for the Panthers during their postseason run, which will begin on Aug. 1 when the team opens up its series against the New York Islanders in the Stanley Cup Qualifier.
And despite missing about a month of action while nursing an upper-body injury before the NHL paused its season in early March, the 6-foot-6, 245-pound giant is feeling 100 percent right now.
"It's good to be back," said Boyle, who last appeared in the playoffs with the Nashville Predators in 2018-19. "Mentally, it's exciting because I wasn't able to get back before the pause… All in all, it's really exciting to be a part of this, to be back with everybody with so much on the line."
Heading into the postseason, it appears Panthers coach Joel Quenneville knows exactly where he wants the hard-nosed centerman to play. Throughout the first week of training camp, Boyle has been flanked by Lucas Wallmark and Brett Connolly on what looks like the team's third line.
Asked about the trio, Boyle believes the line can be effective at both ends of the ice.
"I think we can do a number of different things," said Boyle, a former teammate of Connolly's with the Tampa Bay Lightning. "We need to be responsible. We have to be able to check and be hard to play against. If we're thrown out in the D-zone a lot, we have to embrace that role."
Between his size and experience, Quenneville said Boyle "brings a presence" to the team.
"You notice him on the ice," Quenneville said. "I thought he skated extremely well. He looked very good. He looked excited to be on the ice. A big body and an experienced guy, a tremendous leader."
SAARELA IMPRESSES
Once again, Aleksi Saarela was in no rush to leave the ice.
With goaltending coach Robb Tallas feeding him passes, the 23-year-old Finnish forward spent roughly 15-20 minutes polishing his one-timer following the official end of today's practice. One by one, almost every puck found the back of the net, with each shot looking faster than the last.
"He looks like he pushes himself," Quenneville said of Saarela's work ethic. "He's one of those guys that knows where he's at in his career that he wants to get to that next level where he can be a regular. He feels he's got some ingredients that can make him a scorer at the NHL level, but you're not going to get it if you don't push yourself. … He's doing a lot of good things."
Acquired in a trade with the Chicago Blackhawks on Oct. 22, Saarela registered four points (two goals, two assists) during a nine-game showing with the Panthers this season. During that time, Quenneville believes that he really "seemed to get better each and every game when was here."
In Florida's final game before the pause, Quenneville added that Saarela "gave us something to think about" when he provided the primary assists on both of the team's goals in a 2-1 win over the St. Louis Blues on March 9. Before that, he'd been a healthy scratch in five straight games.
"He works extremely hard. He's strong on pucks," Connolly said of Saarela after the win. "Everybody's so good down in the minors. Everybody that comes up [to the NHL] is hungry. He's definitely hungry to earn some ice time. He made good plays on both our goals."
Heading into the Stanley Cup Qualifier, Quenneville said although he doesn't expect Saarela to crack the lineup in Game 1 against the New York Islanders, the up-and-coming talent could find his way onto the ice at some point during the team's postseason run if he continues to develop.
"We anticipate him playing for our team at some point," Quenneville said. "He gives us a great versatile look on a line or on a power-play opportunity if he plays. He's been really good, very noticeable. He looks like he wants to find a way to get in the starting lineup."
Originally selected by the Carolina Hurricanes in the third round of the 2015 NHL Draft, Saarela has spent 195 games in the AHL, recording 139 points (73 goals, 66 assists) over four seasons.
"WILD BILL" REMEMBERED
The sticker rests on their helmets, but the message comes from the heart.
In honor of Panthers President & CEO Matthew Caldwell's father, William "Wild Bill" Caldwell, who passed away on May 10 at the age of 77 following a brief illness, Panthers players are sporting "WB" stickers on their helmets throughout the team's Return to Play training camp.
We remember the legendary father of @Caldwell16 William 'Wild Bill' Caldwell with special WB helmet stickers this training camp.
A staple of Panthers games ever since Matthew was hired as the team's Chief of Staff in 2014, Wild Bill was known throughout the organization for his big heart, infectious smile, and larger-than-life personality. He was not only a great storyteller, but also the inspiration for many tales.
"Everything started from a sense of love, always putting the family first," Matthew Caldwell said of his father. "He might've been chaotic and wild in his process, but it always came from a place of love. I always thought he was immortal. The Panthers were basically a second family to him."
To read more about what Wild Bill meant to the Panthers, clickHERE.
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At Baptist Health, convalescent plasma (plasma collected from people who have recovered from coronavirus) is being used to treat critically ill COVID-19 patients not responding to other therapies.
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