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Boyle ready for ‘great opportunity’ with Panthers

Nashville Predators v Minnesota Wild

ST. PAUL, MN - MARCH 25: Brian Boyle #11 of the Nashville Predators follows the play during a game with the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center on March 25, 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota. (Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/NHLI via Getty Images)

NHLI via Getty Images

Life threw Brian Boyle another curveball.

Expecting to be signed this summer when he was an unrestricted free agent, the 34-year-old forward did not latch on with any NHL teams, either through a contract or a tryout. Boyle had planned to be in a training camp somewhere with his family settled, but that didn’t happen. Instead, he had to wait for a call from a serious suitor.

Working with a trainer back home in Massachusetts, Boyle kept in shape as best he could all while keeping in contact with teams, including the Panthers, who signed the veteran to a one-year deal on Sunday.

“This is a great opportunity,” Boyle said Monday. “This checks so many boxes. Ultimately, I’ve been around, I’ve played a lot of games, I’ve played in playoff games. I really just want to win. That’s really all that’s left to do.”

The 3-2-3 Panthers aren’t off to the start they hoped, but Boyle’s experience will serve them well in a season where expectations are high following a summer where Joel Quenneville and Sergei Bobrovsky were among their big additions.

“He played a lot of playoff games, meaningful games,” Quenneville said. “Big games are something that we want to get to. There’s some veteran experience that’s going to come out as we go through the season. He wants to be here, and I think it’s a good fit in a lot of ways.”

Boyle, who beat leukemia after a 2017 diagnosis and dealt with severe medical issues with his young son as well that season, has 766 regular season games and 114 playoff games, which includes back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2014 and 2015, under his belt. It was a bit of a surprise he went unsigned for so long, but now he’s relishing the opportunity to be back in the NHL.

“It worked out. There were waves,” Boyle said. “I was up and I was down, some days when you’re bummed out wondering if you’re going to get the call and other days that you’re excited. I’ve had a great career. I’m not owed anything by this league. It’s a privilege to be in, and I’m happy I’m back.”

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.