Since the departures of Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic, the narrative around David Krejci has been the same: Get him some steady wingers, and he can make magic happen.
The last few weeks, that has come to pass.
The acquisition of Taylor Hall at the NHL trade deadline offered Krejci one of the best -- if not the best -- left wingers he's ever played with. Add right winger Craig Smith into the fold, and that second line of the Boston Bruins has become downright electric.
Hall, who played against the Bruins periodically as a member of the New Jersey Devils and, more recently, the Buffalo Sabres, was well aware of the ceiling for Krejci.
And, in part because of Hall, what he heard about Krejci has come true.
"A lot of people told me, if Krejci finds linemates that he fits well with, he can be one of the best centermen in the league," Hall told ESPN's Emily Kaplan in an exclusive interview. "I think you saw that the last 15 or so games of the season."
More correct, that could not be.
Hall, Krejci and the Bruins now will face the New York Islanders in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Isles head coach Barry Trotz already is preparing for the challenge of slowing down the Hall-Krejci-Smith line.
