Got the chance to speak to Dan Boyle this morning and the one thing that is clear is that he has no intentions of leaving Tampa anytime soon.

It’s been a mad couple of days for Boyle as he’s had to deal with his name popping up in just about every rumor mill out there these days, and as I’ve said, where there’s smoke there is fire. Boyle did not want to discuss whether he has been contacted about waiving his no-trade clause because that’s a pretty sensitive issue right now, and I completely understand.

So I asked him that if he were to be asked to waive his no-trade clause, what would his reaction be, and here’s his answer:

“As I stand here today, and I’m out on my back porch, I want to be in Tampa. I don’t have any intention of waving my no-trade clause as I stand here today. I don’t plan on waiving it,’’ he said.

Another strong comment from him: “When I signed my contract, I did it because I wanted to stay in Tampa. I played in Florida, but I feel Tampa is really where I started my career. I can’t ask for more than to want to play for the city and play for the jersey.’’

Boyle said he has a pretty good idea of what is going on with everything right now, but he didn’t want to delve into the subject.

But here is something for you guys to ponder as you mull over exactly what the situation could turn into.

It’s obvious that Boyle doesn’t want to leave. It sounds like it’s obvious new ownership wants to shed salary. And I think what is starting to develop here is to opposing forces playing a game of chicken. And the thing that I’ve learned about chicken, it’s a dangerous game that can leave nothing but shattered pieces of rubble in its path.

Here’s what seems is about to happen: Boyle doesn’t want to leave (that’s his right when he signed his contract). Ownership wants to cut payroll and his $6 million-plus contract is an easy target.

So what’s the option if both sides decide to dig in their heels? Chew on this one and let me (and both parties) know what you think here. The Lightning could place Boyle on waivers knowing full well that some team would pick him up in a heartbeat and that would certainly solve their salary issue.

But were that to happen, one of the top defensemen in the game would have been let go for nothing - NOTHING - in return.

I’ve said this at length the past couple of days, Dan Boyle is one of the top defensemen in the game. There are few players who can do what he does, there are few players who provide the dynamic that he brings to the ice for 25-30 minutes a night. And I know he has his detractors out there, to which I say, be careful what you ask for because you won’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. And the way it looks like now, you would lose that element on the team without any compensation in return.

And I’m going to tell you right now, that would be a monument mistake. For all the good that Oren Koules and Len Barrie have done in the past few days upgrading the team, losing Boyle for nothing would wipe all of that out. Even trading him, in my opinion, would be a mistake, but at least there would be a return that you could point to in that scenario.

If you still question what Boyle means to this team, just look at the team when he was out of the lineup last season. No other defenseman was capable of getting the team’s transition game going. And no other defensemen (and few in the league) are capable of carrying the puck up the ice like Boyle. He is a valuable asset and if he is let go purely for a salary dump, then it will mark a Neil Armstrong leap backwards to erase all the steps forward they have made to make the Lightning a competitive team again.

UPDATE

Here’s another thought I had in thinking about the waiver issue. First off all, kudos to you guys who answered the question about not being responsible for Boyle’s salary if he’s picked up waivers on the way down. You guys have got to be the smartest fan base I’ve ever dealt with

Now, here’s my thought on the waiver issue. It might just be a strong-arm tactic on the ownership’s part. If you use the threat of waiving him, you take away the control he has in regards to where he will end up. I’m almost positive the first team that had the chance to acquire Boyle would do so (I think that would be Los Angeles based on last year’s standings). But, if you tell him that these are the teams that we have discussed, where would you like to go, then Boyle has at least some control of the situation.

This is something, again, I don’t agree with. This is not a fantasy league and I don’t think it’s the right way to go about business. Dan Boyle has won a Stanley Cup with this franchise. He has twice taken less than market value in order to stay in Tampa. I just don’t think that’s the right way to go about business with a player who has displayed that type of loyalty, even if that loyalty was to Jay Feaster and the rest of the former management group.