The NHL's roster freeze, put in place for the Seattle Kraken expansion draft that took place Wednesday night, will be lifted at 1 p.m. Thursday.
It may not be too long after that that the Bruins announce a new contract for Taylor Hall. According to TSN's Darren Dreger, the "finishing touches" are being put on Hall's new deal and could be completely cleaned up sometime Thursday.
Dreger reports that the deal is expected to come in around four years and close to $24 million total, which would be roughly a $6 million average annual value.
The Bruins acquired the 29-year-old Hall from the Buffalo Sabres at the trade deadline for Anders Bjork and a second-round pick, and the former Hart Trophy winner completely transformed the second line, and really the team as a whole.
In 16 regular-season games, Hall had eight goals and six assists and the Bruins outscored their opponents 15-1 at five-on-five when he was on the ice. The postseason results weren't as overwhelmingly positive, however, as Hall had three goals and two assists in 11 games and the Bruins held a 7-6 edge in goals with him on the ice. He had two points in six games in the second-round loss to the Islanders, and none in the final three games.
Still, the Bruins would find themselves back in the same position of looking for a second-line left wing if they didn't re-sign Hall, and the chances of doing so for less than what they'll give Hall would be slim to none.
Hall has repeatedly made it clear he wants to be in Boston, and it's safe to say that four years, $24 million (assuming Dreger is correct) is probably less than he would have gotten on the open market.
Hall at that AAV would still leave the Bruins enough money to address other needs, namely the left side of their defense and their bottom six up front. The four-year term is certainly very manageable as well.
Hall also had instant chemistry with David Krejci, to whom all eyes will now turn. Krejci is also a pending unrestricted free agent, and there has been little news regarding his future.
While Krejci said after the season that he can't see himself playing for another NHL team, he also said he would like to return home to the Czech Republic to finish out his career at some point, although that didn't necessarily mean now.
It's unclear if Krejci has given the Bruins a clear indication one way or the other on his plans yet, but Don Sweeney and Co. certainly need that answer sooner than later with free agency set to open on July 28.
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