BHN Daily: Can The Boston Bruins Lock Up Hall And Krejci?

Can the Boston Bruins really afford to keep winger Taylor Hall and David Krejci together past this season?

On Wednesday, Boston Bruins President Cam Neely and General Manager Don Sweeney told the media how impressed they have been with winger Taylor Hall since he came to the Boston Bruins just prior to the 2021 NHL Trade Deadline. They also expressed a desire to extend Hall’s tenure with the Bruins, who can become an unrestricted free agent again in July, but for now, they remain focused on the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Hall, 29, is coming off a one-year, $8 million contract he signed with the Buffalo Sabres last offseason. The Bruins were able to get the Sabres to cover 50-percent of the pro-rated remainder of that salary cap hit when they acquired Hall and forward Curtis Lazar in exchange for forward Anders Bjork and a 2022 second-round pick. The 2010 No. 1 overall pick and 2018 Hart Trophy winner has bounced back from some ‘dark days’ during his short stint with the Sabres and had eight goals and six assists in 16 games after the April 11 trade.

One of the major factors in Hall’s success has been playing on the wing of arguably the second-best (besides Connor McDavid) center he’s ever played with. The two have revitalized each other and have had seamless chemistry on and off the ice. Like Hall though, Krejci is set to become an unrestricted free agent as well. Krejci will surely have to take a paycut from the $7.2 million he’s netted for the last six seasons. The big question will be now, how much of a paycut will he and Hall take to keep the magic going next season?

As Sweeney and Neely pointed out, that’s a question for another day the more success Krejci and Hall have together will either sway them to stay with the Boston Bruins or if they choose to price themselves out of the Bruins’ cap limits.

That and more in your BHN Daily Links:

My partner-in-crime Joe Haggerty dissected the Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals series and what to expect as the Bruins take on their former captain Zdeno Chara and the Caps. Who did Haggs pick to advance to the second round? (Boston Hockey Now)

The schedule for the Boston Bruins-Washington Capitals first-round series in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs is set. Plan accordingly! (Boston Hockey Now)

The Florida Panthers are set to host the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first-ever battle of The Sunshine State and they will almost be at 50-percent capacity at the BB&T Center for the playoffs. (Florida Hockey Now)

Could the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs be the swan dance for the Pittsburgh Penguins core led by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? (Pittsburgh Hockey Now)

Could the New York Islanders be without goalie Semyon Varlamov to start their first-round series with the Penguins? (NYI Hockey Now)

Boston Bruins goalies Tuukka Rask and Jaro Halak are no longer the defending William A. Jennings Trophy winners. (Vegas Hockey Now)

Say what you want about Philadelphia Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault but you can’t say he doesn’t hold himself accountable. …even when Flyers ownership clearly put Vigneault and the Flyers in the regression mode they find themselves in! (Philly Hockey Now)

Big changes are coming for the San Jose Sharks! What will they be? (San Jose Hockey Now)

Is the Colorado Avalanche about to go under the spell of the President’s Trophy jinx? (Colorado Hockey Now)

Finally, every Boston Bruins fan remembers where he or she was eight years ago tonight. …’ Bergeron! Bergeron! Bergeron!’