Anaheim Ducks: Should Kevin Boyle Make His NHL Debut This Season?

The Anaheim Ducks are heading back to the Pond for a six-game homestand. With both John Gibson and Ryan Miller out to injury, this bodes the question, will Kevin Boyle make his NHL debut this season?

The Anaheim Ducks have gotten by quite a bit this season due to the goaltending tandem of John Gibson and Ryan Miller. While Gibson may be the star of the show, Miller is the steady and confident backup.

The relentless injury bug struck again early December and Ryan Miller succumbed to a knee injury. Nevertheless, the Anaheim Ducks still had the ever faithful John Gibson stealing the show between the pipes. What could go wrong?

The solution to the Ryan Miller dilemma was simple. The Ducks picked Chad Johnson up off of waivers, knowing he would only be needed for possibly one or two games before Ryan Miller returned.

Then, on Thursday night, against the San Jose Sharks, the horrendous injury bug reared it’s ugly head once more, taking down John Gibson. When he did not return after the first period, it was considered that the team was just taking a few precautions.

However, it was announced today that the Anaheim Ducks have called up Kevin Boyle from the San Diego Gulls in the absence of John Gibson. Although I wish the circumstances were different, I think this could be a great opportunity for the AHL goaltender to finally get his feet wet and experience the NHL.

Who Is Kevin Boyle?

Kevin Boyle has a story much like Kiefer Sherwood‘s. Eligible for the draft in 2010, things didn’t quite end for the American born goaltender. He went undrafted and his dreams of playing in the NHL blew away like dust.

In 2011, Boyle began his NCAA career with UMass-Amherst. He struggled slightly to find his footing, never posting a season save percentage above .900%. In 2013-14 he transferred to Lowell from Amherst. Unfortunately, he was ineligible to play that season per NCCA transfer rules.

He quickly became a shoo-in to replace one Mr.Connor Hellebuyck who was on his way to begin a new journey in the AHL. Fast forward to the 2015-16 season, Boyle began his senior year with the RiverHawks. He led his team to the Regional Championship game before falling to Quinnipiac.

However, he finished his senior year having had his best season in the NCAA yet. With 39 games under his belt, he went 24-10-5, earning himself a pretty impressive .934% save percentage. The Anaheim Ducks saw potential in the young goaltender and signed him to a one-year entry-level contract as an undrafted free agent.

He split the 2016-17 season between the San Diego Gulls and the Anaheim Ducks ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies. He moved up to San Diego full-time last season; his 29-18-6 record and .921% save percentage earned him a two-year two-way contract extension through 2019-20 season.

The Anaheim Ducks Need to Take Advantage of Calling Up Kevin Boyle

He’s here, so why not utilize him while he’s in Anaheim? The Anaheim Ducks play the Arizona Coyotes this evening. That is the perfect game to ease him into the NHL.

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It’s not that I have anything against Chad Johnson, I actually have ulterior motives. Next season, Ryan Miller’s contract with the Anaheim Ducks is over. Although he may very well still have a few seasons left in the tank, he is quickly approaching the big 40. That’s practically unheard of for a goaltender, so if it’s any consolation, he’s a superhero in my book.

The Ducks are going to have to make some big decisions regarding their backup goaltender this summer. Do they keep Ryan Miller, signing him to a one-year contract extension for possibly a little more money? I mean, his performance has been stellar, so I wouldn’t blame him if he asks for more.

The other option is to bring up Kevin Boyle, whose current AAV is $675,000. Although it’s not much, bringing up Boyle would give them at least $1.3M more in cap space. We all know Bob Murray is all about the bargains.

Personally, I think Boyle is going to be the future behind Gibson. I wrote earlier in the season that I think bringing him up is going to be much more benefitial than having to find a new journeyman every year. I’m not of the opintion that the “baptism by fire” menality is the best way to go about it but it’s not uncommon to see.Guys like Casey DeSmith, Calvin Petersen, and Garret Sparks have all been in that situation this year. I have been of the opinion that you might as well get it over with now and season him alittle more instead of having to call on him down the road and watch him get torched” –Jake Robles, Pucks of a Feather

I would have to agree with Jake’s assessment. He has been doing well for the Gulls and he would compliment Gibson well. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be mentored by John Gibson? Maybe that’s just my own biased opinion.

Even though Ryan Miller has been the backup, John Gibson has learned a lot from one of the best American born goaltenders over the past two seasons. Ryan Miller is chalked full of wisdom and John Gibson seems to be a better goaltender because of him.

A player like Kevin Boyle could certainly benefit from two great goaltenders, even if the wisdom from Miller is secondhand.

With that in mind, giving him the opportunity to start now would make sense. We could avoid the deer in the headlights scenario by easing him in slowly. Arizona may not be a cakewalk, but it’s going to be a relatively easier game than most of the other NHL teams. It would give him a better opportunity to get accustomed to the team and the pace of the NHL.

Some may think that starting Kevin Boyle is a little premature, especially with Chad Johnson on the roster. What are your thoughts about Boyle? Do you think he should start between the pipes when the Anaheim Ducks take on the Arizona Coyotes tonight?