Tampa Bay Lightning center Brian Boyle's name is gaining traction in rumors as the March 1 trade deadline approaches, but the pending unrestricted free agent knows where he wants to be in his immediate future.
"I want to stay here," Boyle told the Tampa Bay Times' Joe Smith. "We've been on a mission for a few years now and haven't accomplished it yet. We want to do it here."
Boyle has 13 goals and seven assists in 50 games. He's huge - 6-foot-7 and 244 pounds - and would provide depth up the middle for a playoff team. He's playing out the final season of his contract, earning $2 million.
The 32-year-old has also played a lot of playoff hockey over the past few seasons:
| Season | Team | GP | G | A | P | TOI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | Lightning | 17 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 15:28 |
| 2014-15 | Lightning | 25 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13:40 |
| 2013-14 | Rangers | 25 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 13:18 |
| 2012-13 | Rangers | 11 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 18:50 |
| 2011-12 | Rangers | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 16:44 |
Boyle's wife's parents live in Orlando, so Boyle has added incentive in wanting to remain in Florida. But he told Smith he's only going to worry about what's in his control, and that's trying to help the Lightning get back into the playoff picture.
Last year's Eastern Conference finalists went into Saturday's action seven points back of Toronto for the second wild-card playoff spot.
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