Brian Boyle has continued to skate on his own after being diagnosed with chronic myeloid luekemia, according to reports, however he hasn’t been cleared to return to practice and likely won’t be ready for the Devils’ season opener on Saturday.
The Devils host the Colorado Avalanche to begin the season.
Boyle was diagnosed last month, but has shown tremendous resolve, stating at the time that he didn’t want to miss any games. While he has been skating, it may take some time before he’s ready to get into the lineup.
“The bottom line is, it is progressing,” said Boyle, per NJ.com.
“I said I wanted to play opening night, because, you know, I think everybody does. But it’s progressing. Even if I’m cleared, I’m not just going to jump in. I need to have my own little training camp here at some point where I’m actually put into situations that are real. I can skate for days now, but I haven’t really bumped or hit anyone. That’s a huge part of your conditioning.”
The Devils signed Boyle on July 1, inking him to a two-year, $5.1 million contract, representing another move from management to improve their group of forwards for the upcoming season. He has received tremendous support from the NHL community ever since his diagnosis.
He is expected to meet with doctors on Tuesday.
“I think conditioning wise, he’s at a high level but then it comes down to the comfort level of battling,” head coach John Hynes told NHL.com. “Hopefully we’ll get really good news on [Tuesday] and we’ll try and move it forward as quickly as we can.”
