Ryan: Third line isn't a demotion for Taylor Hall - it's an opportunity for matchup nightmares

Taylor Hall’s credentials speak for themselves. 

In a Bruins dressing room anchored by All-Stars, Norris-contending blueliners and at least one future Hall of Famer, Hall stands as the lone player who has captured a Hart Trophy as league MVP.

That coronation came just five seasons ago, with Hall’s trademark 0-to-60 speed and playmaking prowess in transition yet to erode since his time with the Devils.  

Sure, he may not be tabbed as the franchise forward like he was during his previous stints in Edmonton, New Jersey and Arizona, but Hall didn’t re-up in Boston two summers ago to continue with such a designation. 

On a team still led by the likes of Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak up front, Hall has had the luxury of slotting further down the depth chart — capable of driving play on a second line next to pivots like David Krejci and Erik Haula over the past three seasons.

Slotting a player with Hall’s talents and pedigree down on the second line has stood as a rare luxury for the Bruins over the years. But to further plant him in the bottom-six unit? Well, that just seems unfair for the opposition — if not a hard pill to swallow for a player’s pride, especially one as accomplished as Hall.

On 95 percent of other NHL clubs, Hall would likely be scribbled into the top line with permanent ink on bench bosses’ whiteboards. 

But Hall’s current landing spot in Boston’s lineup — the play-driver and transition ace on a forward trio with Charlie Coyle and Trent Frederic — is not an indictment on the play of the star winger over the past few weeks.

Rather, it’s just a testament to the current depth of a 19-3-0 Bruins roster — a grouping that could make things even more daunting for opposing defensive units if Hall stays entrenched in that third-line spot. 

“I was excited to work with him because he's older now as far as where he is — his maturity in his game. What's important to him now is winning,” Jim Montgomery said of Hall. “He wants to win a Cup. 

“He wants to be in a dressing room that values winning, and one that has that pedigree, and I think it shows in the way he's playing. He's very accepting of the fact that I'm using him on the third line. And then we're using him on the second power play, because that's what's best for the Boston Bruins and I can't say enough about his exemplary attitude.”

All things considered, the Tampa Bay Lightning should have been satisfied with their defensive efforts against the Bruins on Tuesday night.

Aside from an empty-net tally from Marchand, Boston’s top-six guns in Bergeron, Pastrnak, Jake DeBrusk and Krejci (aside from the assist on the empty-netter) were kept in check by Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Bolts’ defense.

The same could be said for Boston’s imposing top power-play unit featuring that same high-end talent next to Charlie McAvoy. 

But further down the depth chart, Tampa simply had no answers for Hall on both the third line and second power-play grouping, with the forward lighting the lamp at both 5v5 and 5v4 action to lift the B’s to a 3-1 win over the Lightning. 

In some respects, Hall’s ability to pick apart easier matchups in his current spot draws parallels to a foundational strength of the Lightning during their current reign as the top squad in the Eastern Conference — if not the entire league. 

Yes, the Bolts’ two Cup titles (and another appearance in the Cup Final) were the byproduct of great coaching by Jon Cooper and some elite talent up front (Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point), on defense (Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh) and in net (Vasilevskiy). 

But Tampa’s outstanding depth and the ability to roll out middle-six groupings teeming with impact two-way talents like Blake Coleman, Yanni Gourde and Barclay Goodrow made them a threat against even the stingiest defensive systems. 

Whether it be Hall stapled next to Coyle and away from top-pairing matchups — or as the next wave of attack on the man advantage after most of a top PK unit is heading to the bench — Hall has the high-end skill that can swing the momentum of a game with just a single drive to the net. 

“I think that's the key this year,” Hall said following Tuesday's win. “You can talk about system changes all we want. But we have such a plethora of players and guys that can play anywhere. And I think that's what really, over the course of a game, wears teams down, is how deep we are. Not just at forward, but on defense. I mean guys we put on waivers are tremendous hockey players in this league."

It should come as no surprise Hall’s ability to find soft areas of the ice, carry the biscuit through the neutral zone and use that acceleration to scoop up skittering pucks along the boards shines through during 5v4 play.

But his cohesion next to a puck-possession pivot like Coyle has been a breath of fresh air, especially considering both forwards struggled to gain traction under heavy minutes in 2021-22.

Last year, despite having close to 60 percent of their starts in the offensive zone, a line featuring both Coyle and Hall was a net negative — with Boston getting outscored, 16-13, in their 282:24 of 5v5 ice time together. 

This season, both Hall and Coyle are being deployed in more of a defensive designation — with just 39 percent of their starts in the O-zone. 

But despite those daunting assignments, Boston has outscored teams, 4-3, during Hall and Coyle's 69:22 of 5v5 ice time. That's perhaps not as lopsided a goal-scoring margin as expected, but Montgomery noted earlier this week that those goal totals haven’t reflected the Grade-A chances that they’ve been generating — such as Hall tipping home a Brandon Carlo shot for a tally just 1:07 into Tuesday’s contest.

"Taylor Hall likes to have the puck and Coyle is good at driving the middle lane to open up space,” Montgomery said. “And then Charlie's really good at hanging onto pucks in the offensive zone, which allows Taylor time to get open. … (Hall) drove the net a couple of times, that blocked shot in the second and he takes it and beats Hedman to the net. He's doing a lot of what I call championship-type hockey. Things that are helping our team win hockey games.”

Of course, even if the Bruins’ ongoing warpath against the rest of the NHL has yet to be quelled, it wouldn’t come as much of a surprise if Hall wasn’t exactly on board with a role outside of Boston’s top-six unit.

Sure, you can say all the right things about prioritizing the team above all else. But for an athlete who has reached the peak in terms of individual play (with the trophies to show for it), a bottom-six assignment could be a hard truth to accept. 

But if Hall holds such a sentiment, he’s not publicly sharing it. Not with his main focus fixated on a much more daunting summit to reach — a Stanley Cup. 

"I think it's whatever's best for the team,” Hall said. “You come into the year, you think you're going to be on one line and you're gonna have a lot of success and sometimes things work out, sometimes things don't. 

“But for our team — 19-3, or whatever it is — whatever you're slotted, you got to make the best of your ice time. Charlie Coyle as a third-line center, that's one of the best third-line centers in the whole league. So I don't take it as a demotion. I take it as do the best with what you can with the ice time given and the opportunity given.”