One of the top dominoes of the Bruins’ offseason finally fell on Friday evening — with the B’s locking up a top-six stalwart for the coming years in Taylor Hall.
The 29-year-old winger agreed to terms on a four-year contract extension with an average annual cap hit of $6 million, giving Boston a potent offensive conduit on the wing outside of the club’s tried-and-true top line with Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.
According to CapFriendly, all four years of Hall’s new deal feature a no-movement clause, as well as varying no-trade clauses in 2022-23, 2024 and 2025.
"The Bruins are excited that Taylor wanted to remain a Boston Bruin and we are thrilled to have signed him to a multi-year contract,” Don Sweeney said in a release. “He is an impact player that brings speed, scoring, skill and two-way commitment to our lineup. He fit seamlessly into our locker room and will be an integral part of our organization’s goal to compete for the Stanley Cup.”
If you’ve been following around over the last few days, Hall’s signing doesn’t exactly come as much of a surprise.
Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff first reported on Wednesday that both the Bruins and Hall were making “meaningful progress” on a contract extension, while Sweeney added on Thursday that all parties involved were hoping to find the “finish line” in short order.
Even though it seemed like a given that Hall would secure more money and term if he hit the open market after scoring 14 points over his 16 games with the B’s, Hall signaled at the end of the 2021 campaign that he was more than willing to return at a deal below his projected value. Such a scenario ended up playing out, as Hall re-upped with Boston before he could even test free agency on July 28.
“I think there’s always that temptation [to test free agency] a little bit, but honestly I think most of my focus throughout this whole process was directed at playing for the Boston Bruins next year and for years to come,” Hall said on Friday. “My last go at free agency [last year] didn’t really go the way I wanted it to.
“That was just my personal experience, and after playing in Boston for that period of time, I knew that’s where I wanted to play. Fortunately, I was able to deal with some good people and my agent was able to make it work, and I’m really happy to be here.”
BSJ Analysis:
Hall mapped out his desire to remain in Boston long before the offseason got underway, but even with the star forward’s willingness to return to the B’s at below market value, the Bruins still have to be thrilled that they were able to secure him at that annual rate — and more importantly, that term.
With Hall noting during his final Zoom call of the 2021 season that his priority this summer was not necessary maximizing his value — but rather finding the right fit for the foreseeable future — it sure seemed like Hall was looking for a longer-term contract, with a potential five or six-year deal not out of the question if it meant inking him to a reasonable cap hit.
But to get Hall on board for both an affordable deal and a contract that falls in line with Boston’s potential contention window, it’s nothing short of a win-win for the B’s.
Not only will the Bruins have Hall still in his prime during the final years of the Bergeron era, they also won’t be saddled by his contract moving forward if a painful rebuild is on the horizon.
And make no mistake, while a $6 million payout stands as the fourth highest cap hit on this B’s club, it sure seems like a bargain when you look at what he brings to this team as a spark plug outside of that top line.
His offensive capabilities are well-documented, but when you also factor in his transitional game and his underrated two-way ability, Hall is not only a guy that could realistically tally 30 goals and post 70+ points over a full 82-game slate — but can also limit opposing scoring chances by pushing the puck out of high-danger chances.
Sure, Hall struggled during Boston’s second-round exit against the Islanders back in June (as did pretty much every other Bruin outside of Bergeron/Marchand/Pastrnak/McAvoy), but don’t let a sour ending spoil the body of work that Hall put forth during the regular season — when Boston outscored opponents, 15-1, when Hall was out on the ice at 5v5 play.
Taylor Hall, signed 4x$6M in BOS, is one of the top playmakers and scoring chance creators in hockey. His total inability to finish those chances in recent seasons (until he got to BOS, it's worth mentioning) took a toll on his overall results but this is a good deal. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/2YaXiODNW5
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 22, 2021
After struggling to find a top-six stalwart for YEARS, the Bruins should be thrilled to have a guy in Hall locked in for the next four seasons — both as a key cog looking to put this current core over the top and as the next wave of franchise stars once guys like Bergeron hang up their skates.