Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Taylor Hall has finally found his forever home.
In the hours after the expansion draft roster freeze lifted on Thursday afternoon, the Boston Bruins made a splash by reportedly coming to terms with Hall on a four-year contract extension worth an average annual value of $6 million.
Hall, who was dealt to the Bruins at the 2021 trade deadline, put up an impressive 14 points in 16 regular-season games after arriving in Boston, mixing in another five points in 11 postseason games, as well. The former first overall pick could not have adapted to his new surroundings any better. Clearly feeling at home in Beantown after previously bouncing between four different teams over the past two seasons, Hall seemingly chose to value personal fit over searching for every possible penny on the open market.
And on the surface, it seems as if both sides have been rewarded.
In locking down Hall, the Bruins bolster their forward depth by retaining a dynamic offensive asset — at a reasonable term, no less — that they spent very little at the trade deadline to acquire. Hall, on the other hand, finally receives the long-term security he’s been looking for from an organization while not sacrificing much in the realm of salary in order to do it.
With the Bruins moving back into a loaded Atlantic Divison next season after 2021’s COVID-prompted realignment, they’ll need all the firepower they can get. Hall gives them that in spades, and at a manageable price, too.
In the modern NHL, most general managers will chalk that up as a win.
