Taylor Hall and the Bruins agreed to a contract extension on Friday worth $6 million per season over 4 years. The deal locks up the 2010 first overall pick and finally gives the Bruins a great scoring presence on their second line wing. The deal puts Hall at 4th in AAV on the team, behind Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak. It also leaves the Bruins with over $19 million in cap space to re-sign David Krejci, Tuukka Rask and upgrade the roster from the outside while still keeping an eye to the future.
Hall, 29, was acquired by the Bruins at the trade deadline was an instant fit in Boston. In 16 games, Hall posted an 8/6/14 line while giving the Bruins their first true depth scoring wing on the second line since Jarome Iginla in 2014. Hall’s skill level was obvious from the start and he looked the most comfortable on the ice since his MVP campaign of 2017-18. His production did tail off slightly in the playoffs, but he still tallied 5 points in 11 games while he went on the deepest playoff run of his career.
Just as importantly, Hall wants to be in Boston long term. The Bruins core of Bergeron, Marchand, Krejci and Rask realistically only has 1-2 more seasons of contending for a Stanley Cup. After that Bergeron will be in his late thirties and it is likely that both Krejci and Rask will be gone. Having Hall is an important piece for Cup contention in the next two years and is also significant as the Bruins turn the page to their next phase. Hall will be able to score next to Krejci’s successor and will complete his prime offensive years in black and gold.
Boston suffered a disappointing loss the Blues in seven games of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019 and have been bounced in the second round in 2018, 2020 and 2021. There are two common themes among all four of these disappointments: lack of strong defensive depth and lack of consistent scoring beyond the Bergeron line. Hall re-signing will go a long way towards eliminating that second problem. The Bruins still have work to do to upgrade their scoring and defense especially, but they are closer to Tampa Bay and the other elite NHL clubs with Hall remaining in town.