Predators Acquire Forward Brian Boyle

Nashville, Tenn. (February 6, 2019) - Nashville Predators President of Hockey Operations/General Manager David Poile announced Wednesday that the club has acquired forward Brian Boyle from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Boyle, 34 (12/18/84), has 13 goals and 19 points - in addition to leading all club forwards in blocked shots (36) and ranking second on the team in hits (88) - in 47 games with the Devils this season, his 12th in the NHL. In 116 games with New Jersey over the past two campaigns, Boyle has tallied 26 goals and 42 points, and won the 2017 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who exemplifies the qualities for perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia. Boyle advanced to the Stanley Cup Final in back-to-back years (2014 with the NY Rangers and 2015 with Tampa Bay), and has appeared in 111 postseason contests throughout his career, posting 28 points (15g-13a).

Originally drafted in the first round (26th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft by the Los Angeles Kings, Boyle is a veteran of 740 NHL games, amassing 211 points (119g-92a). The 6-foot-6, 245-pound center has blocked the ninth-most shots (513) and dished out the 16th-most hits (1,498) among League forwards since becoming a full-time NHLer in 2009-10. He tallied a career-high 35 points (21g-14a) in 2010-11 with the New York Rangers and has posted at least 20 points in seven of his previous 10 campaigns.
Boyle spent four seasons at Boston College University from 2003-07, where he was a two-time Hockey East conference champion and amassed 140 points (65g-75a) in 159 contests. A native of Hingham, Mass., he captained the Eagles as a senior in 2006-07 and made his professional debut later that season with the AHL's Manchester Monarchs.