The Boston Bruins are looking to shell out some paychecks before free agency kicks off on July 1 and found the perfect trading partner on Monday afternoon. In a four-player trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins sent Taylor Hall and unrestricted free agent (UFA) rights to Nick Foligno in exchange for defensemen Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell.
That’s a good deal for the Blackhawks who are expected to take on No. 1 Conor Bedard overall on Wednesday night (June 28) in the NHL Entry Draft in Nashville.
Blackhawk acquires veterans for Mentor Bedard
The Blackhawks would make the easy decision to pick Bedard and they have the perfect mentor in Hall. A former Hart Trophy winner with the New Jersey Devils in 2018, Hall was the first overall pick in the 2010 Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers and could provide the most drive for Beddard.
At 31 years old, Hall is still a left winger to the gaming industry who can still produce when he’s healthy. He dealt with a lower body injury in late February of this season that caused him to miss almost the last two months of the regular season before returning right before the playoffs. In 61 regular season games, he scored 16 goals and 20 assists for the Bruins, primarily playing on the third line. In the first round playoff against the Florida Panthers, Hall finished third on the team in scoring with five goals and eight points.
“We are thrilled to add players of Nick and Taylor’s caliber to our organization,” said Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson. “The two bring a wealth of experience and leadership that will not only strengthen our advanced group but help grow our entire roster.”
Bedard will be a special player for Chicago and the addition of a player like Hall to play with him early in his career will help him. What Hall could do that could be beneficial to the Blackhawks was that his speed could create scoring opportunities for his teammates and finishing around the net was one of his best attributes in Boston.
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Also returning to Chicago from Boston is Foligno, another very interesting option for the veteran drive in their locker room. It’s UFA on July 1, so the Blackhawks have their rights and can try to strike a deal before it hits the open market. Wherever he played, Boston, Columbus, or Toronto, Foligno was always a highly regarded captain. Foligno is out of a A two-year deal worth $7.6 million With the Bruins he has an average annual value (AAV) of $3.8 million. At 35, it wouldn’t cost you to sign him and the Blackhawks should do everything they can to make that happen.
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The Bruins begin payroll dumps to free up cabin space
The Bruins are entering a very tight squad and need to clear some significant cash in order to start compiling their 2023-24 roster that will look a lot different than the one that just set the NHL record for wins (65) and points (135) in an 82-game regular season. It should come as no surprise that Hall was one of the first contracts to be let go since he still has two years to go on a four-year, $6 million USD deal.
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Getting the Blackhawks to get the full $6 million and not keeping any money is a staple for Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney and likely not finished. Other players he could look to move include Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Linus Ullmark and Charlie Coyle. The four players hold a minimum of $3 million USD.
Returning to Boston from Chicago, Regola and Mitchell, who are both restricted free agents (RFAs) this summer. Mitchell is someone who is known by Bruins coach Jim Montgomery as he played for the University of Denver for three seasons and was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2017 draft and 57th overall. Over the past three seasons, he has played 82 matches, including 35 this season, and has four goals and 12 assists. Regulation defensive possibilities for a right-handed hitter are few and far between for the Bruins, so this is a move that could fill a hole in Boston early next season with 24-year-old Mitchell, especially if Connor Clifton goes on a free transfer. agency, which is to be expected.
The move is the first of what is expected to be more than Sweeney and begins to set in motion the dominos for next season.