PTO BOYLE, PTO RUNDBLAD
By Lowetide
7 years agoWe are now into the period of the offseason where veteran free agents without contracts are finding landing spots via PTO. One of the players I would like to see in Edmonton is reportedly retiring. I understand Dan Boyle is an older player, but there is a heartbeat here.
Back in mid-July, I wrote about free agents and their relatively low price at that point in summer. Since Edmonton is in need of RH solutions on the blue, I mentioned three names:
- RD James Wisniewski, Carolina Hurricanes. Eight goals and 34
points in his last full season. Major shot and if healthy he should be
able to help—if he is recovered from his knee injury and can wheel. - RD Dan Boyle, New York Rangers. Old as the hills and twice as
dusty, if you look at his numbers (aside from the birth certificate)
there is an interesting player here. Could Edmonton bring him in on a
PTO? - RD Jakub Nakladal, Calgary Flames. He is a vague player, with less than 30 NHL games to go on. Big defender, reasonable defense and a big shot from the point.
- Source
Wisniewski has a PTO, and Nakladal remains out in the ether. Boyle? Retiring:
That was April, maybe he has a change of heart. If Boyle does decide to give it another try, Edmonton should probably think about bringing him in. Speed is an issue, but Boyle played well last season, despite his age.
- 5×5 points per 60: 0.58 (7-7-14 at evens)
- 5×4 points per 60: 2.23 (3-7-10 on PP)
- Corsi for 5×5 %: 49.8
- Qual Comp: 3rd pairing
- Qual Team: 3rd pairing
- Corsi for 5×5 % REL: 9.0
- Shots on goal/percentage: 95 shots/10.5
- Boxcars: 74gp, 10-14-24
- (All numbers via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com and BehindtheNet.ca)
THE VOLLMAN SLEDGEHAMMER
Boyle is in the easy opposition portion of the graph, and the blue bubble (this is CorsiRel to the rest of the team) suggests he played well. His 10 percent shooting percentage is a spike for him, but he was around eight percent in the two previous campaigns.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
Nothing, probably. Dan Boyle is 40, he has enjoyed a wonderful career and has to rank among the all-time best NHL players who were never drafted. He has decided to sail on and that’s a shame. He was always one of my favorite players. It is probably fitting that he steps off the ice at a time when he was still helping his team win hockey games, albeit in a support role. Sail on, Gloucester Ranger.
PTO RUNDBLAD
When you get older (I mean really older, not you) there are patterns in life that develop. As an example, to this day I will see a certain player-type get released or become a free agent and say to myself there is a Glen Sather-style reclamation project. We have one out there now, here, and he is available.
David Rundblad has skating issues, but also brings skill. He is RH, 6.02
187 and scores 18 points per 82GP in the NHL. He can pass the puck—the
main reason I have noticed him—and he has a plus shot. In his last real NHL season, here is what he posted:
187 and scores 18 points per 82GP in the NHL. He can pass the puck—the
main reason I have noticed him—and he has a plus shot. In his last real NHL season, here is what he posted:
- 5×5 points per 60: 1.24 (3-6-9)
- 5×4 points per 60: 2.26 (0-1-1 in 26 minutes)
- Corsi for 5×5 %: 57.0 (!!!)
- Qual Comp: 3rd pairing
- Qual Team: 3rd pairing
- Corsi for 5×5 % REL: 9.7
- Shots on goal/percentage: 58 shots/5.2
- Boxcars: 49gp, 3-11-14
- (All numbers via Stats.HockeyAnalysis.com and BehindtheNet.ca)
THE VOLLMAN SLEDGEHAMMER
Rundblad (in 2014-15) was playing the softest minutes available (any easier and he is off the graph) and the numbers above reflect it (he was a third-pairing blue who would have posted over 20 points in a full season—that is pretty damned good).
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
David Rundblad, based on his resume and that Chicago season, has earned another NHL chance. I mentioned above that his shot impressed me, and that should also be of interest to Edmonton. An example of his shot is available starting at about 1:30 of this video:
Recent articles from Lowetide
