Analysis: Grabbing Boyle from Tampa a Dan-dy move by the Sharks
Dan Boyle is moving from one coast to another. (Photo by Bill Wippert/NHLI via Getty Images)
Ryan Dixon
2008-07-04 16:04:21
Hopefully fans of the teal didn’t spend too much time feeling blue over the team’s defense.
Just days after saying goodbye to Brian Campbell, the San Jose Sharks have signed Rob Blake and brought in Dan Boyle via trade from Tampa Bay.
Forgetting about Blake for the moment, let’s just examine the exit-Campbell, enter-Boyle aspect of the story. The two defensemen are similar in style, both relying on speed, smarts and vision to be dependable puck-movers. In Boyle, 31, the Sharks are getting a slightly older, slightly better version of Campbell, who’s 29.
Even those who would contend the two are of equal talent have to acknowledge San Jose came out ahead when you factor in Boyle, at $6.6 million per season, is also slightly cheaper than Campbell.
A freak accident that saw a skate drop from a stall and cut Boyle’s wrist limited him to just 37 games last year. In 2006-07, Boyle notched 20 goals and 63 points while playing in all 82 games. That’s one more than the 62 points Campbell put up last season.
Another boon for San Jose in landing Boyle is the fact his points tend to be built more equally on goals and assists, while Campbell is more of a set-up guy from the point.
Boyle’s past is also consistent with that of Blake’s and new Sharks coach Todd McLellan in that he’s got his name etched on the Stanley Cup. San Jose GM Doug Wilson has obviously decided that, since his team can’t turn the championship corner, he’s going to turn the Sharks into a team comprised of champions.
As for the 38-year-old Blake, Wilson is counting on him being rejuvenated by one last Cup run after playing a mentoring role with the Kings’ young defense corps. The fact Blake can go out and do his thing on the second or third defense pair should alleviate any unrealistic expectations that would have been placed on him had he been San Jose’s sole blueline acquisition this summer.
Wilson deserves credit for acting fast on this one.
Where not long ago his team had a hole, now it’s got some rings with a good chance to win more thanks to an enhanced defense corps.
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Alexandre Bouchard (Posted 2008-07-25 10:09:01)
Lidstrom has 4 stanley cup. 9 nominations to the norris trophy in 10 years. And he won 6 of them. Nad a Conn Smythe. You can talk about Boyle and Campbell but Lidstrom is the best defenceman of his generation.
Tackleberry (Posted 2008-07-08 13:57:37)
Please do not judge TB fans by what Lady Bolt wrote. Some TB fans are upset at the WAY the Boyle deal was handled. Is Boyle the BEST D-man, no. Is he well above average? Yes. Was he TB's best D-man? Yes. Boyle was paid the $6.6mil by the soon-to-be-ex GM, Jabba the Hut Feaster. He was ranked 30th in the NHL by The Hockey News.
Now, TB has the old Carle and the young Wishart. Plus a 1st Rd pick in '09. The Bolts still have a huge hole in the D for most teams to take advantage of. As a TB fan, I am hoping this is not all that will be done for the blue line in Tampa. Scores will look like baseball or low scoring football games.
Time will only determine who will have obtained the better trade.
rinkratt (Posted 2008-07-07 13:02:36)
ya thanks TB for another heartless player in danny boy. best D-man in hockey get real. You should watch the game befor you speak. Norris will never knock on danny boys door. What was his plus/mins last year, let me think, -10000000000000000 or so. Thanks wilson for a great skater with no brain. The sharks are waiting for the wizard of OZ , no heart, no brain, and no courage to play the game of hockey past the reg. season. Go sharks, i will still suport u no matter how dumb Wilson is, can't help it i am a fan.
Brian Kemp (Posted 2008-07-07 10:22:01)
Good pickup on Dan Boyle. I'm not sure if Blake really has anything left, but Boyle will look pretty good on the Sharks PP. He's better than Campbell (at least before the skate injury), having actually won something before, and is being payed closer to what he's worth. TB overpaid him, but only by .5 to 1 mil, so all in all, not too bad of a deal. They gave up a lot for him, but now they don't have to make another deadline deal for a high end defenseman. Carle and Wishart will do well in Tampa. At least Carle won't have to worry about being shipped down to the minors every time he does something to displease Ron Wilson. He'll have the chance to learn in the NHL.
neilw (Posted 2008-07-07 07:43:05)
The Sharks taking Boyle erased a HUGE payroll mistake for the Lightning. Wilson needs to win the Cup this year or he's done. After this series of moves, I am poised to become a Lightning fan. They've taken huge steps in the right direction. LadyBolts, get a grip: You don't know frustration until you've walked a mile in an Islander fan's moccasins.
Jean Beliveau (Posted 2008-07-07 00:06:34)
There has been too many accidents that have happened to players like Boyle and the rest of their careers have never been the same. Such a cut on a wrist has happened before Boyle to Donald Audette, whose career went down spiral afterwards. Nothing against Boyle (actually I believe that before getting injured, he was superior to Campbell), but I am one of those believers who think he'll never be the same player again. Hopefully I'm wrong, because, if Boyle gets back to his former shape, with the addition and leadership of Blake, maybe, just maybe, the Sharks will finally stop teasing every expert and their fans once playoffs season begins!
nor cal (Posted 2008-07-06 20:42:04)
boyle, cambel, both five foot nothing and a hundred and somthing, who cares anyway no nobody's gona beat detroit any way, doug wilson got raped on tha cambel deal
Hawks76 (Posted 2008-07-06 13:09:45)
How much is a puck moving D-man worth? It cost San Jose 2 first round picks, Bernier, Carle, a d prospect , and a 4th rounder to finally land a guy making 6.67 who only played 30 something games last year. Thanks for making Campbell look like a total steal Dougie. Campbell repeatedly said he was gonna test the market, maybe you should have listened.
Nicole (Posted 2008-07-06 10:29:49)
Before judging this move let's wait until the season starts and see how the Lightning play. After several years of this team doing nothing to get better they are at least trying something. Is it a gamble? Sure. But time will tell. They look solid at forward and I agree the D looks very shaky and young. They have not had a decent minor league team in years and a lot of these moves have addressed that as well. If nothing else with the Melrose connection the Lightning may get an occasional mention in the news (good or bad). Wish all the best to Boyle an his family and have certainly enjoyed watching him over the years. He will be missed.
Smack Yourself Stupid (Posted 2008-07-06 01:32:16)
Awww, so the little bolt babies are crying in their pina coladas because they traded an overpaid, underacheiving "defenseman"??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? You'd think Dougie Wilson would know better!! Matt Carle has a decent upside and plays harder to boot. Boyle is definitely no Brian Campbell...
Robo08 (Posted 2008-07-05 15:47:34)
I think we can't be black or white on this one. Boyle is a good d-man and has good offensive qualities. He also plays with a lot of will but does sometimes come up short on the D. Luko is solid enough. This will adress some of the Sharks need of an offensive D-man, no doubt. but then shipping Rivet means replacing him, Carle and Cambell with Boyle and Luko - I'd say it's a step down for sure. They needed to keep Rivet to look good.
The Lightning are in some quasi-rebuilding phase and while bolstering offense with at least somewhat proven talent, they now traded their current D for a future one.
All-in-all I'd say that it might be a good trade for the Sharks if they go deep which is doubtful since their D is now worse than last year and their biggest problem is burning hearts ("the lack of" that is). If they do turn things around it'll be more due to new coach than new D. For the Bolts I'd say it's a good trade. They did dump a lot of salary, get a lot of future and loose mostly offense on the D. management did good, although I did not like the way they treated Boyle from the way I heard it, sends bad message to the rest of the organization if it's true.
Now we will just have to see if they bring back Shabbybulin (pun intended)!
Joe Blake (Posted 2008-07-05 14:09:42)
The addition of Blake and Boyle is over-rated. Sharks need more up front as their current big names are not doing the job. Your best players have to be your best players.
Alex K (Posted 2008-07-05 13:04:06)
Lady bolts. He is not the best, not even close. If he was, wouldn't be he have been up for the Norris? Last I checked, Lidstrom was the best in the league, and the three candidates were Lidstrom, Phaneuf, and Chara.
Chris E (Posted 2008-07-05 11:46:02)
Lady Bolts you seriously have to be joking when you say Boyle is the best d-man in the NHL. To say a guy who over the course of his career that has 292 points in 523 games (.56 ppg) and is a -42 is the best in the league is asinine at best. By way of comparison Nick Lidstrom over the same stretch of seasons has 532 points in 721 (.74 ppg) and is a +215. Oh and Lidstrom has 2 Stanley cups, 1 Conn-Smythe and 6 Norris Trophies to go with it. Boyle is a fine player but he's got a long way to go before anyone in their right mind can put him in the same level as Lidstrom. As for whether the trade was a good one or not I'll leave that for time to tell....
Prof (Posted 2008-07-05 09:41:30)
Lady Bolts, are you for real? Cancel your season tickets because they traded Boyle and Lukowich? Not a Lightning fan anymore because they got rid of an overpaid d-man? Boyle was good but really, Carle, Wishart a first and fourth rounder AND they dump the salary? Sounds like Tampa got one over. Why don't you just follow boyle to San Jose so you can watch him be a defensive lilability there... The weather's nice there too!!!
Lady Bolts (Posted 2008-07-05 08:01:17)
By the way.. I put my money where my mouth is.. my loyalties .. to those who deserve them.
There is no way I'd renew my season tickets w/ the Lightning, the new owners think its business. So be it! Its my business to not support owners "fantasy" w/out reality.. they need to stick to making movies, about retired hockey player buddies.. and leave the NHL to those who know it.
No I will not renew and spend my money on the Lightning.
I will spend that season ticket money on cable / sports so I can watch hockey in general.. especially Dan Boyle and Luk!
Anyone want to purchase some used Lightning jerseys or flags etc etc ??
I will be buying a new - and wearing my Boyle / Sharks Jersey!
Lady Bolts (Posted 2008-07-05 07:55:35)
Anyone who thinks they have a clue about the trade and things the Sharks "overpaid" for Dan Boyle.. are stupid! Plain and simple! They know nothing about hockey! Dan Boyle is THE BEST D man in the NHL !
Sharks came out on top , and TBL will regret ever loosing Dan! He can out think just about anyone on the ice, he moves and controls the puck.. he can score !! Go figure! He's at his prime right now and is an extremely hard working skater!
Sharks lucked out on that trade.. no doubt about it!
The new owners of the Bolts, shame on you.. you will live to regret this trade! Quote me on it!
Cookie (Posted 2008-07-05 00:19:14)
Ken, please do not assume that anyone on the Lightning roster will finish their career here. New ownership has made it clear that a NTC on a contract means nothing( even one they were involved with). Fans here understand hockey is a business...one that can be run with honesty, integrity and class. I'm afraid those traits were left in a prop box back in Hollywood!!!
aaron (Posted 2008-07-04 23:47:10)
San Jose ridiculously overpaid in this trade. it was clear knowledge that tampa needed a salary dump. they give up their 3 top rated prospect (in my opnion 2nd), a 1st, a 4th, and a young blueliner that although had a sophomore slump last year is probably going to be good for 40 points a year. Boyle is one of the better puck movers and will probably net 18 - 25, but can lapse on the back end a little too much in my opinion. lukowich is just the other dude in the trade although he is a solid d-man and will do well for san jose.
tampa absolutely fleeced san jose in this one.
I bet Tampa now signs Jason Smith so they have an in-your-face defensemen. filip kuba, because of his 3 mil a year, may be available for another cheaper defensemen as well.
it will be an interesting year for tampa
Eldrick (Posted 2008-07-04 20:44:35)
Good move by Tampa and the Sharks can be helped also....Boyle was (is) over- paid by at least 2.5 mil. ...I am not sure if Boyle's off. upisde makes up for his defensive lapses, but definitely not with that millstone contract he drags with him....ALEXK- I am glad you did't name all the D'men better than Boyle because you would have listed another 75 names or more....but if any team can benefit from what Boyle has to offer and cover his liabilities it's San Jose.
Ken (Posted 2008-07-04 19:13:27)
Wow!...It looks like Tampa Bay is insisting on finishing last again...I wonder if Malone, Roberts and Hall knew that Tampa Bay would be cleaning house before they signed to play with a last place team for the rest of their career......Well....at least they can spend most of their off time on the beach sunning themselves.....Good Luck guys....hahahahaha
Alex K. (Posted 2008-07-04 19:06:32)
Boyle's not even close to the best in the league don't kid yourself. He's one of the premier puck movers...but one of the best? Not a chance. He's behind Bouwmeester, Gonchar, Phaneuf, Niedermayer, Pronger, Lidstrom, Zubov, and probably a few others I can't think of.
In anycase. I hate puns.
qwerty (Posted 2008-07-04 17:17:07)
they paid too much to get him
chrisD (Posted 2008-07-04 17:02:47)
Tampa obviously thinks games are won on offense alone.
Stephanie Lobzun (Posted 2008-07-04 16:23:23)
This is the worst trade that could have been made. The only thing Tampa needed to aquire during the trade seasons was good Defenseman that could work and learn from Boyle. This is the worst move that the 'new management' team could have made -- to free up money. They don't need anymore forwards or centers but they went ahead and got them -- wasting money. They have enough talent on the front end with Vinny, Marty, Halpern and getting Prospel back. TAMPA NEEDED DEFENSE and they end up trading the best defenseman they had -- their crazy. Boyle was an influence player for Tampa and he could have worked wonders with new younger players. He could have helped build a strong defensive line but no Tampa doesn't want to spend that much money on a defensemen who is the best in the league. I am a very disappointed Season Ticket Holder.
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