Hall Has Found a Home with the Bruins

BOSTON - Taylor Hall always thought he might end up in Boston.
As he sat in the stands at the 2010 NHL Draft in Los Angeles, the Ontario native - who many believed would be the top overall pick - saw much of the attention shifting toward Tyler Seguin. At that point, he thought the Spoked-B could be in his future.
"I had a lot of uncertainty. I could have ended up in Boston…if I remember correctly, there was about 30 cameras on Tyler Seguin and about seven on me. I was like, 'Oh, I guess I'm going No. 2.' Sure enough, I went No. 1 and our careers have kind of gone different ways. He won a Stanley Cup [with the Bruins] his first year, it took me eight years to make the playoffs," said Hall, who did end up with the Edmonton Oilers as the first overall selection.

Some 11 years later - on Draft night - Hall is, in fact, a member of the Black & Gold. And he'll be sticking around for a while.
The 29-year-old, who fit in seamlessly with the Bruins upon his arrival from Buffalo at the April trade deadline, signed a four-year contract with a $6 million annual contract on Friday evening.
"It was really enjoyable for me this year, and I'm really happy that I get to play another four years with the Bruins," said Hall. "And the teammates that I got to know in my short time in Boston [are] a huge reason why I wanted to direct my focus to playing for Boston as long as I can. I'm really happy that we're here talking about it today."
Hall has seemingly been smiling since the moment he arrived at Warrior Ice Arena in the spring. The winger embraced Boston and his teammates from the jump and his enthusiasm translated onto the ice as he notched 14 points (eight goals, six assists) in 16 games with the Black & Gold, playing mostly alongside David Krejci and Craig Smith on the B's second line.
That success made his return to the Bruins a fairly easy decision.
"I knew right away, after playing five or six games in Boston, I wanted to be a part of the group," said Hall. "And it was up to me to try to play well and show up well enough to have them want me to be a part of it. The season didn't end the way we wanted it to - I think, we could have been right there. We could have been in the Finals, we could have been in the Conference Finals easily. It just didn't happen. We got beat by a team that had some great parts on their team, they had some great players.
"But I feel like that series, if we played it over again - I know every team says that - but it could have gone either way. That's the frustrating part and I kind of left the taste in my mouth that I wanted to come back and do it with the same group.
"That's how I feel today, that's how I feel every day when I'm training for the season. I try to be my best when the time comes and the playoffs, and that's what I'm looking forward to next year."

Hall acknowledged that there was some temptation to hit free agency and see what the market may have been for his services, but that ultimately, he knew exactly what he would be getting in returning to the Bruins. After a less than ideal stint with the Sabres in 2021 - he signed a one-year, $8 million with Buffalo before last season - having a level of certainty in his decision was important.
"I think there's always that temptation a little bit, but honestly, I think most of my focus throughout this whole process was directed at playing for the Boston Bruins next year and for years to come," said Hall. "My last go at free agency didn't really go the way I wanted it to. That's just my personal experience. After playing in Boston for that period of time, I knew that was where I wanted to play. Fortunately enough, I was able to deal with some good people. My agent was able to make it work, and I'm really happy to be here."
He went on to say that part of the reason he gravitated toward the Bruins at the deadline was the opportunity to re-sign during the offseason.
"I think the first thing that piqued my interest was in free agency, just talking to Don Sweeney, there was interest there, it just didn't work out," Hall said of his initial discussion with Boston in the fall of 2020. "Boston was on my radar a little bit. Once things started going south in Buffalo a bit, that's when my agent and I started talking about maybe a potential trade and where I'd want to go.
"Boston was a team that, I think they were looking for a left winger or someone of my caliber. Looking back, that seems like a good bet on my part and I'm really happy to be here talking to you guys."
Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said that the organization was thankful that Hall felt so strongly about putting down roots in Boston.
"With Taylor wanting to be a part of our group and be a Bruin and working with [his agent] Darren Ferris to find a common ground was really important to us," said Sweeney. "I think you can see from Taylor's comments, he's excited to be a part of our group. I think he's felt maybe the most comfortable he's felt in a locker room in some time, and I think it showed up in his game. He arrived in Boston with not as much confidence as he's had previously, despite being such an accomplished player.
"I think now, he's really wanting to put his feet down and settle some roots for him and his fiancé to really take it as far as he possibly can. He's motivated, he knows the team and what we're trying to accomplish, and he wants to be a part of that. I think that's an important message to send to all of our young players as well as our incumbent players that they represent a core of the Boston Bruins and Taylor Hall, with the special qualities he has, wants to be a part of that core, was important. We're excited to have him back."
With 16 regular-season games and 11 postseason contests under his belt, Hall has already built a solid foundation within the Bruins dressing room. And from the start, the former Hart Trophy winner formed a strong rapport with his teammates, while trying to soak in the example set by Boston's leadership group.
"I felt really comfortable right off the bat last year and I spoke about it," said Hall. "That's a credit to the leadership group. The guys that have really laid a foundation - and it's not just the [current] leadership group. It's the guys before them - Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic, Andrew Ference. These guys, they did a great job showing the way. I really enjoyed being a part of that. And it's not only that. The younger guys, they have personality, they have hunger, they want to win, they want to have fun.
"It was a good environment for me to come into and I felt that I was able to be myself right off the bat and I think that's shown in my on-ice play. Been on four teams in the last two seasons, so I've been in a few dressing rooms. You can tell right away when you walk in what the vibe is, and I've really enjoyed the vibe of Boston."
Hall pointed specifically to that blend of veteran leadership and dynamic young talent as being one of the Bruins' strongest assets, citing that combination as a chief reason why Boston can once again contend for the Stanley Cup.
"I think there's a really good mix of both," said Hall. "You can't just have one, you can't just have a super old team or you can't just have a super young team. You have to have a mix of both, guys that have done it before and guys that have played in the playoffs a long time and know what it takes. But also guys that are young and skilled and have that energy and have that hunger. I think that's what makes Boston a great fit for me.
"I think the window is still there, at least for another few years. A group of guys that's committed to trying to make a Stanley Cup come to Boston, and that's all I want to be a part of…in this league, sometimes you get caught up trying to be on the perfect team. I was super happy in Boston; I think we have a great group of guys to accomplish something special."