Boyle dealt to San Jose

From TSN:

Sources tell TSN that Tampa Bay Lightning defenceman Dan Boyle has waived his no-trade clause and has agreed to a trade to the San Jose Sharks.

The paper work confirming Boyle has consented is being processed right now and once signed by Boyle, it will clear the way for the Sharks and Lightning to complete the deal.

In return for the 31 year old veteran defenseman, its believed Tampa will receive a package that will include 23 old defenseman Matt Carle, a 1st round pick, a prospect and a 4th round pick.

Read the entire story here.

Great trade for the Sharks. They have added one of the premier offensive defenseman in all of hockey and one who is actually quite underrated as well. While known for his puck-moving skills, Boyle is also a solid defender. His addition to the Sharks’ back-end makes them arguably the second best team in all of hockey (behind Detroit).

The fact that the Sharks gave up Matt Carle, a 1st rounder (which will probably be the 28th-30th pick), a prospect and 4th rounder makes me like the trade even more. This team is a contender that just got significantly better. Also, Carle had clearly fallen out of favor with Doug Wilson as he has been rumored to have been in a number of previous San Jose trade offers.

As for Tampa Bay, I can’t say I understand this move. They splurged on a bunch of forwards when their primary need was defense. Then they decide to trade their best defenseman for some draft picks and a defensively poor defenseman in Carle. They may have garnered a lot of media attention the past few weeks, but I don’t think the Bolts are as good as their fans may think.