Taylor Hall has been on a roll since joining the Bruins in April, and he’s hoping one of his former teammates soon will find a similar opportunity.
Boston sent Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Hall and Curtis Lazar, and Hall hasn’t looked back. The star forward already has 14 points (eight goals, six assists) with the Bruins in just 16 games, too, thanks partly to a two-goal game Monday against the New York Islanders.
It has been a long road to this point for Hall, though, who recalled “some really dark days this year” with Buffalo during his postgame media availability. Even “great” locker room chemistry was not enough to overcome the in-game issues the team has coped with year after year.
Hall is thankful for the opportunity to play with a new organization, something he’s expressed several times since coming to Boston. Now, he wants Jack Eichel to follow in his footsteps and find a new home in the NHL.
Eichel, who will not be a free agent until 2026, hinted at some frustration with the Sabres while speaking with reporters Monday after missing Buffalo’s last 33 games with a neck injury, which Hall later expanded upon.
“I know Jack is frustrated,” Hall admitted after Boston’s win Monday before spilling the tea. “Jack and I became really, really good friends during our time in Buffalo and I support him. I know he’s gone through some stuff with the medical staff there and ultimately, Jack has to worry about himself. There’s teams that they’re going to, just like he said, worry about what’s best for them. And Jack has to do what’s best for him. And I know he’s got an injury that he feels he can take care of with a surgery and there’s a little bit of a disagreement. But I support Jack and he was nothing but a great teammate and friend when I played with him.”
Yikes.
If true, hopefully Eichel is able to find some sort of solution to his conflict with the Sabres, and fast. He is a proven talent, he just needs the proper atmosphere to thrive, like Hall.
