NHL trade deadline: Maple Leafs acquire center Brian Boyle from Lightning
The Maple Leafs have acquired center Brian Boyle from the Lightning in exchange for forward Byron Froese and a 2017 conditional second round pick.
Toronto was in the market for a bottom-six center, and reportedly had interested in Red Wings center Riley Sheahan.
Boyle has 13 goals and nine assists in 54 games this season but more importantly is regarded around the league as a tough, defensive-minded center who is solid on faceoffs.
Boyle has plenty of postseason experience that the Maple Leafs, the the second-youngest team in the NHL, can desperately use as well. He’s appeared in 100 postseason games with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Lightning over his 10-year career, and will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Boyle is expected to be in the lineup on Tuesday when the Maple Leafs begin a three-game road trip against the San Jose Sharks.