Boyle 'a possibility' for Devils' season opener

Don't rule Brian Boyle out for opening night.

The veteran center - who's been skating on his own since announcing a diagnosis of leukemia on Sept. 19 - could indeed make his New Jersey Devils debut on Oct. 7 against Colorado.

"There's a possibility," head coach John Hynes said Wednesday, per Tom Gulitti of NHL.com. "Brian will be back with us starting (Thursday) and then we'll just kind of see where he goes over the next week. But nothing has been ruled out yet."

Boyle has yet to practice with the team but may be able to do so as early as Monday, giving him several days to get acclimated.

"I think with Brian, he knows really when he's ready," Hynes continued. "We're not going to rush him. If he is ready and he can get a full week of practice in, that's probably fine. He's not going to get a preseason game, so no matter what he's going into a regular season game (to start).

"If he's back with us next week, we're going to have some very intense practices and if he gets a full week, I have a pretty strong feel he'll be ready to go."

Boyle signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Devils as an unrestricted free agent on July 1.