Dan Boyle On Not Returning To San Jose Sharks: ‘It’s Devastating’
By Eric He
During his six-year career with the San Jose Sharks, Dan Boyle more than justified the trade that brought him here.
His skating prowess and offensive abilities made him one of the best defensemen to every dress in a Sharks uniform. But all good things must come to an end. Boyle, who turns 38 in July, will not be back next season as GM Doug Wilson announced on Thursday that Boyle will not be re-signed.
On Friday, Boyle spoke in a conference call and reminisced on his time with the Sharks.
“Even though I was kind of expecting it a little bit, yeah, it’s devastating,” Boyle said, via the San Jose Mercury News. “I’ve been here for six years and I was clear that I wanted to be back here. I loved it here. Pretty tough news to take, but when you lose the way we did, you figured changes would need to be made.”
The Sharks fell in a disappointing playoff series against the Kings in the first round. While Boyle played well during the postseason, he appears to have lost a step or two of his game. Boyle’s 36 points this past season is the lowest in his Sharks’ career in a full, 82-game season.
According to Boyle, he wanted a two-year deal, but the Sharks only offered him one year.
“I’ve definitely shared my thoughts with Doug,” said Boyle. “We have our year-end meetings every year and this year’s was probably the most honest and intense.”
Boyle is still intent on playing next season, and says he has already received texts from players on other teams wanting him to sign with their team.