Report: All signs point to a Taylor Hall return for Bruins

According to a report from longtime NHL reporter Andy Stickland, the Boston Bruins are making progress on contract negotiations with pending unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall and expect to bring him back in 2021-22 and beyond. 

Check it out:

The 29 year old Hall fit in fantastically with the Bruins this season after coming over from an absolutely disastrous situation with the Buffalo Sabres. Hall put up eight goals and 14 points in 16 regular season games with the Bruins, as well as three goals and five points in 11 post-season games. He's a former 90+ point player and a Hart Trophy winner as league MVP, but has struggled through injuries and inconsistencies over the past few seasons as he bounced around between the New Jersey Devils, the Arizona Coyotes and the Sabres. Now, with the Bruins he looks like the player he was earlier in his career. Here's hoping he re-ups with the Bruins and gets back to being the dominant, game-changing player that we saw from him at points earlier in his career.

The real sticking point, of course, will be Hall's asking price. He's unlikely to get anything close to the $8 million that the Sabres paid him for last season but he's also unlikely to take a low ball offer from the Bruins. I'd imagine that both sides would be happy with a deal that pays Hall somewhere in the neighborhood of $6 million per season with four or five years term. 

Another thing to consider will be what happens with center David Krejci? His $7 million annual deal expires this offseason and both sides seem amenable to a contract extension, albeit it it'll have to come at a steep discount. Krejci and Hall seemed to have some real natural chemistry on the ice and I wouldn't be surprised if a Hall contract extension is contingent on a Krejci contract extension, as well. And if you think Krejci is washed up... think again. The 35 year old Czech native put up eight goals and 44 points in 51 regular season games and two goals and 9 points in 11 post-season games in 2021-22.