Taylor Hall enjoyed his couple of months in Boston, and now it’s looking like he’s going to get four more years with the Bruins.
The star winger, who was an unrestricted free agent this offseason, is getting closer to reaching a four-year deal to return to Boston. That’s according to Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli, TSN’s Darren Dreger and SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman. According to all three, the cap hit will be in the neighborhood of $6 million.
Hall and the Bruins periodically expressed mutual interest in a reunion, and things reportedly were gaining steam earlier this week. The 29-year-old played last season on a one-year deal that he signed with the Buffalo Sabres, but was traded to the Bruins at the deadline. He flourished on a line with David Krejci and Craig Smith, scoring eight goals with six assists in 16 regular-season games before burying three goals with a pair of assists in 11 playoff contests.
Hall’s time with Boston has been a break from what he experienced pretty much everywhere else in his career, where he was looked upon to be “the guy.” Now on a team that boasts Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak, Hall doesn’t have to worry about putting the team on his back every night. It was evident how much more freely he played in Boston with that burden lifted.
Krejci remains unsigned, and it’s unclear what his plan is. At last check, it’s basically Boston or bust for the veteran center, who is mulling his options. With two more years left on Smith’s deal, there’s a possibility the Bruins could reunite that second line if Krejci returns.
