Boll was a better fit in yesterday's NHL, when each team had a designated enforcer getting consistent minutes on the fourth line. The American winger has accumulated 1,282 PIM over 569 career contests between the Blue Jackets and Ducks, but he's only at 65 points over that same span. It's safe to ignore him in just about any league that doesn't reward heavily for the rough stuff.
Injuries limited Boll to just 28 games last season, and for the first time in his career he failed to rack up 100 or more PIM. He's only 28 years old but the shelf life of an NHL enforcer can be a short one, and while he should have at least one more good campaign left in him if he can stay healthy, the end could be drawing nigh for Boll.
Despite the lockout-shortened season, Boll still managed to crack the 100 PIM mark for the sixth straight year, an impressive achievement in the modern NHL. He's got a lot of miles and a lot of scraps on him though, and the time is coming fairly soon when he'll have to pass on the Jackets' enforcer torch he inherited from Jody Shelley. For the moment though, in leagues where penalty minutes matter, he's one of the safest sources of PIMs around.
Injuries limited Boll to just 54 games last season, but when he was able to get on the ice, he ended up spending his usual amount of time in the sin bin with 126 penalty minutes. Expect PIMs from him when he plays, but precious little else.
The Blue Jackets' enforcer was his usual feisty self last season, finishing seventh in the league with 182 PIMs and third with 24 major penalties. He even chipped in a career-high seven goals. Boll's only 25, so he should still have at least a few seasons left in him as a top-shelf NHL goon.
Blue Jackets goon managed 149 PIMs and seven points in 68 games last season.
Bruising fourth liner has 14 points and 180 penalty minutes in 75 games with Columbus last season.
Boll racked up 10 points, 226 penalty minutes and a ton of aggravated opponents in his rookie season. Expect more of the same going forward.
