The New Jersey Devils have been rotating the assistant captain distinction all season long. Brian Boyle deserves to wear the “A” all season long.

It’s been a helluva season for the New Jersey Devils. 33 games into the season, this team still has yet to break double-digit losses. There are so many things going right for this Devils team. Cory Schneider is back to his old stealing games ways. Jesper Bratt, Will Butcher and Nico Hischier have been seemless in transitioning to the NHL game in their rookie seasons. Taylor Hall is playing like the superstar that he is. There’s nothing to complain about as Devils fans (but don’t worry, we’ll find something).

With all that, there is no doubt what the biggest positive of this Devils team is. Brian Boyle has been everything the Devils expect and more.

When Ray Shero signed Brian Boyle on the first day of free agency, he was expected to be a veteran presence on the bottom six. He was here to score 10 goals and keep this locker room in line. Boyle’s expectations coming into this season was keep the bottom six from being a major weakness.

Then he was diagnosed with cancer. Boyle has Chronic Myeloid Leukemia. It’s a condition he’s been dealing with all season long. Fighting the disease caused him to miss the first 10 games of the season. He continued to be part of the team, as fans who didn’t know him previously rooted more than they ever have for any player. This was a life or death fight, something much bigger than hockey.

When he made his first appearance at the Prudential Center, he was the star of the show. He scored his first assist as a member of the Devils in front of that crowd on November 7th. Two nights later, he scored his first goal. He admitted he cried after scoring that goal, and then something clicked.

This extremely long explanation was necessary to prove one point, Boyle deserves to be the Devils assistant captain for the rest of the season.

He’s been the epitome of everything this Devils team wants to be. He does all the little things right. When the team needs him to perform, he does it to the best of his abilities. The Devils need to win a defensive zone faceoff, and they call on Boyle. The team needs to score a power play goal, and they call on Boyle. Anything this team needs, Boyle will take the call.

Head coach John Hynes has been rotating the “A” every game between about six players. It’s worked thus far, but sometimes the play on the ice warrants a change. Boyle has been the leader for this Devils team since he made his triumphant return. The players listen to his every word. They look to him to make a play, even when players with more skill are on the ice.

Boyle deserves to be the Devils assistant captain. For everything he’s given this team, it would be an honor to root for him.