Although his best days are most certainly behind him, veteran Brad Boyes continues to be a model of offensive consistency for the Florida Panthers.
The 33-year-old forward has crossed the 35-point plateau in each of the past three seasons and ranked fifth on the Panthers with 38 points in his most recent campaign.
As a player who used to net 30 goals with ease during his prime, however, Boyes took little solace in the 14 goals he scored this season and grew frustrated with his inability to find the back of the net.
"I've struggled scoring goals the way I want to," said Boyes, who led the Panthers with 21 goals last season. "Just burying chances, it hasn't been there for me this year.
"On the other side of the puck, defensively, I've done a pretty good job being more keen on being responsible on that end on that of the ice. But I've still got to remember that we need goals. We've been a little better than last year, but we're still a ways away from where we want to be."
One of the main reasons for Boyes' sudden dip in goals has a lot to do with the fact that the Panthers are simply a deeper team than they were a year ago. With the emergence of young players like Brandon Pirri, as well as veteran additions such as Jaromir Jagr and Jussi Jokinen, Boyes fluctuated between lines for the majority of the season.
Once a fixture on the team's top line alongside Aleksander Barkov and Sean Bergenheim -- a trio affectionately dubbed "The Killer B's" -- Boyes was forced to make adjustments to fit into Florida's evolving roster.
"It's been different roles," said Boyes. "We haven't had any lines all year that have stuck really, so I've had stints on different lines with different guys. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. You develop different chemistry with different guys.
"I tried to work my best with everybody. Sometimes it's good and other times, when you realize it's not working as well, you've got to make sure that you're not hurting the team and working on other things."
In the end, the good far outweighed the bad for Boyes in his second season with the Panthers and his $2.625 million salary remains an incredible bargain for a player with his production.
WHAT HE DID RIGHT
While it's common for players to sometimes vanish for long stretches of time, Boyes managed to never stay off the score sheet for too long. His longest point drought of the season lasted only five games and it happened only once. His 24 assists were the fourth-most on the Panthers and nine more than he produced last season.
WHERE HE NEEDS TO IMPROVE
Yes, a few more goals would be nice to see, but the main area of his game that Boyes needs to improve upon is his puck protection. His 31 giveaways led all Panthers forwards and often created scoring chances for opponents.
BEST GAME
Oct. 21 at Colorado. In an early-season battled high above sea level, Boyes scored a power-play goal 2:23 into overtime to lead the Panthers to a 4-3 victory over the Avalanche. He was named the first star of the game and finished the night with a goal and an assist. It was Florida's only overtime victory of the season.
ADVANCED STATS
At even strength, Boyes ranked fifth on the Panthers in Corsi For (51.65 percent) and second in Fenwick For (52.46 percent). His 409 on-ice scoring chances were second to only Jonathan Huberdeau among Florida's regulars.
GOAL OF THE YEAR
LOOKING AHEAD
Next season will be a contract year for Boyes as his two-year, $5.25 million deal comes to an end. He is expected to compete for a spot on Florida's second line, but will most likely end up on the third.
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
