91 potn Dan Boyle - A Hidden Defensive Gem For Sub 100k (08.Feb.17)

Team synergies active: tw, 1t, cg.

Player synergy: dr.

Played on: 3rd line LD with mov Suter in div 1.

I was hesitant to add Boyle to the lineup, I basically did it to keep the cg synergy after ditching mov Mackinnon from my forward group. Boyle was replacing hero Foote, so he had some big defensive shoes to fill. I picked him up for 90k on the ps4.

Lets get down to the nitty gritty:

Skating 9/10

With tw, cg and dr activated, his lowest skating category is 95. In fact they're all 95 with the exception of agility which is 97.

This means Boyle can keep up with most forwards, especially if your positional play is up to par. His 97 agility also means that a high level of defensive maneuvering is possible.

Shooting 6.5/10

I don't give high ratings easily and some might think a 6.5 is harsh, but it's there as a reminder that Boyle is no Macinnis.

With 1t active his ssp is 98, but his ssa is 'only' 88. Not bad by any means but nowhere near elite. I have scored with Boyle, but if you can; I'd suggest taking a few strides in from the blueline before letting it rip.

His wsa is 88 and wsp is 93, it'll get the job done, but he won't be getting any scoring records.

In other words, you don't buy Boyle for his shooting skill alone.

Hands 8/10

Boyle's puck skills are solid but not exceptional. Don't expect him to dangle through the entire team, he's no Erik Karlsson, but he's not useless either. All ratings are 90+ so you certainly don't need to be nervous when he has the puck.

With the mentioned synergies active his passing is at 98, which means if you're a good passer, he will be too, and if you're not a good passer, he'll just about be as forgiving as the game allows.

Checking 8/10

Another solid area for Boyle and I have to say I've been pleasantly surprised by his ability to take the body.

At 5'11", 190 pounds and 91 body checking (thanks to the dr synergy) he won't run people over, but his checking is more than good enough to make solid defensive plays.

Defense 9/10

This is where Boyle's dr synergy comes into its own. With defensive awareness at 96 and stick checking at 97, Boyle constantly made clutch defensive plays for me, often stopping clear scoring chances by himself.

It's Boyle's defensive abilities that made me want to write this review. After all, he is an offensive defenseman, so I was not expecting a high level of defensive acumen, I'm very glad however that Boyle greatly exceeded my expectations.

In Summary

I would gladly recommend Boyle as part of your defensive core. At 90k he's a steal for a mobile yet defensively very strong D man. He may not dazzle offensively, he gets the job done in the opposition zone, but surprisingly his best qualities are his defensive abilities.