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UPDATED - Leafs trade with Tampa for Brian Boyle

February 27, 2017, 3:16 PM ET [1127 Comments]
Mike Augello
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The Toronto Maple Leafs have filled their need for depth up the middle with the acquisition of acquired veteran center Brian Boyle from the Tampa Bay Lightning for minor league center Byron Froese and a 2017 second round pick.

The 32-year-old Boyle has 13 goals and nine assists in 54 games for the Lightning this season and has 100 games of Stanley Cup playoff experience with the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning.



The Hingham, Massachusetts native was originally a 1st round pick (26th overall) of the Los Angeles Kings in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft and played parts of two seasons in LA before being dealt to the Rangers in 2009. Boyle spent five season on Broadway, reaching the Stanley Cup Final in 2014 and again in 2015 as a member of the Lightning.

Boyle is in the final year of a three-year, $6 Million contract.

Froese, 25, was the leading goal scorer for the AHL Toronto Marlies, with 24 goals and 15 assists in 48 games.

The Leafs will be giving up the highest of the three second-round picks (TOR, OTT and SJ) they have in their possession for the 2017 NHL Draft. The middle pick was already dealt in the trade last July for goalie Frederik Andersen and was subsequently moved in the Patrick Eaves deal with the Dallas Stars last week.



The need for bolstering up the middle was amplified on the weekend, with the absence of Tyler Bozak. The Leafs were forced to insert Ben Smith between James van Riemsdyk and Connor Brown and play rookie Frederik Gauthier on the fourth line.

With Bozak's return, Toronto will likely use Boyle on the fourth line with Matt Martin and Nikita Soshnikov and return Gauthier to the AHL to replace Froese.

As part of the deal, the Marlies have been loaned veteran enforcer Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond from the AHL Syracuse Crunch. Similar to last season with former Leaf Matt Frattin (whose contract was traded to Ottawa, but played for the Marlies), Letourneau-Leblond's NHL deal remains with Tampa, but he will play for Toronto.

The trade likely ends the possibility of the Leafs acquiring Detroit forward Riley Sheahan, who Toronto was reported to have interest in over the weekend.

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