from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,
Two years at $4.5 million per season for such a player constitutes a bargain in an environment in which Nikita Nikitin got the very same deal from Edmonton; Brooks Orpik got five years at $5.5 million per from Washington; Anton Stralman got five years at $4.5 million per from Tampa Bay after initially asking for considerably more than that to remain in New York; and, astonishingly, Deryk Engelland received three years at $2.9 million per from the always fiscally responsible Brian Burke and Calgary.
And it’s not just the number, not just the talent — explosive, game-changing talent when at his peak — that combine to make this Boyle’s addition a coup.
It’s this, as articulated by George Bazos, Boyle’s agent, in a phone conversation within an hour of his client’s signing: “We told teams [during the five-day interview period preceding Tuesday] that if the Rangers made an offer, the decision wasn’t going to be about money.”
The Islanders, who had obtained Boyle’s rights from San Jose last month, offered three years and $15 million. The Red Wings offered three years at $12.5 million. The Sabres are believed to have come in with what essentially would be described as a blank check.
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