Pittsburgh Penguins: The latest on Brian Boyle ready for 2021

After a year of adversities, Brian Boyle is ready to help the Pittsburgh Penguins make their way to a cup run this year!

Brian Boyle is no stranger to adversities, and the Pittsburgh Penguins know that. Four years ago, he was skating with the New Jersey Devils when he found out he was in the early stages of chronic myeloid leukemia. After being sidelined for several weeks, he came back on November 1st, only to go on to score 13 goals in 69 games and to win the Masterton Memorial Trophy for his perseverance and dedication to hockey.

However, the adversities weren’t over for Boyle. Last year, after playing 39 games for the Panthers and playing for Florida in the bubble where he scored a goal and dropped gloves once, he didn’t receive any calls from any teams to play in the 20-21 season. Instead, he helped his family and got to see his son play hockey and his daughter go to dance lessons while he watched hockey on television.

The Penguins saw something in Boyle and gave him a call this season for training camp. While he may not go out and score as many points as he did earlier in his career, he’s still a big body and able to check and keep up with the pace that the Pittsburgh Penguins play. Skating may not be his strong suit, but in the first days of training camp, he was able to keep up with wingers Bryan Rust and 20-year-old Sam Poulin.

According to the Post Gazette:

"“He’s a big body. He’s a penalty killer. He’s a faceoff guy. He’s a checker,” Hextall said of the veteran center, who is trying out for an NHL roster spot in camp."

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in need of centers right now with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin out due to their respective surgeries. This might be a perfect fit for the skater, who is still getting back into the game after being out for a year. The team needs forwards, and Boyle is a forward who is ready to get back in the game.

Now we’ll have to watch training camp to see if Boyle can continue to make a good impression on Mike Sullivan and Ron Hextall.