SAN JOSE — Two teams learned firsthand that Dan Boyle was a difficult player to replace.
San Jose Sharks head coach Pete DeBoer coached the Florida Panthers six-and-a-half years after they traded the defenseman to the Tampa Bay Lightning.Even then, the Panthers still missed him, DeBoer said.
“I know they were kicking themselves,” DeBoer joked.
Martin St. Louis had similar feelings when Boyle was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 2008. Boyle and St. Louis played together for six seasons in Tampa Bay, and won a Stanley Cup together in 2004. St. Louis said he missed Boyle as soon as he was traded.