Taylor Hall made it clear on multiple occasions he’d like to re-sign with the Boston Bruins.
The 29-year-old winger’s tune didn’t change Friday, two days after the New York Islanders eliminated the Bruins in Game 6 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
“Nothing’s changed since the last time I talked about this. But yeah, I see a fit and hopefully they feel the same,” Hall, an impending free agent, said during a video conference. “We’ll let the dust settle and everything this year. I’m sure they have a lot of other stuff going on and some other guys that have been here longer than me that they have to worry about, and then we’ll figure that out. But hopefully we can make something work. That’s obviously my goal, and like I said, hopefully we can make that happen.”
Hall is coming off a weird season, in which he stumbled with the Buffalo Sabres before gaining his footing with the Bruins after being traded to Boston at the NHL trade deadline. He scored eight goals and added six assists for 14 points in 16 regular-season games in Black and Gold.
Hall had an up-and-down postseason, as Boston’s second line — with David Krejci centering Hall and Craig Smith — struggled to score in the second round against New York. But overall, his two-month stretch with the Bruins has been a positive experience, to the point where Hall might be willing to accept less money to continue donning the Spoked B.
“I don’t even know what my value is at this point. I feel like I had two different seasons,” Hall said of his upcoming foray into free agency. “But yeah, I’m not looking to absolutely maximize my value at this point in my career. I’ve been fortunate enough to make some good money in this league, and at this point it’s about more of a fit for me than maybe money or a long-term thing. You want to find a home for the next few years here, and like I said, we’ll see what happens.”
Hall, selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the first overall pick in 2010, hit the open market last summer, as well, before ultimately signing a one-year contract with the Sabres. He’s also spent time with the New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes over the course of his 11-year NHL career.
