The Boston Bruins are looking to dump some salary ahead of the start of free agency on July 1 and they found the perfect trade partner on Monday afternoon. In a four-player trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Bruins sent Taylor Hall and the pending unrestricted free agent (UFA) rights of Nick Foligno in exchange for defensemen Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell.
This is a good deal for the Blackhawks who are expected to take Connor Bedard No. 1 overall on Wednesday night (June 28) in NHL Entry Draft in Nashville.
Blackhawks Acquire Veterans to Mentor Bedard
The Blackhawks are going to make the easy decision to select 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 selection in the 2010 Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers and can offer the most leadership for Bedard.
At 31 years old, Hall is still a playmaking left wing that can still produce when healthy. He dealt with a lower-body injury in late February this season that caused him to miss nearly the final two months of the regular season before returning right ahead of the playoffs. In 61 regular season games, he had 16 goals and 20 assists for the Bruins, mainly playing on the third line. In the first-round playoff series against the Florida Panthers, Hall was third on the team in scoring with five goals and eight points.
“We are thrilled to be adding players of Nick’s and Taylor’s caliber to our organization,” said Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson. “The two bring a wealth of experience and leadership that will strengthen not only our forward group, but aid in the development of our entire roster.”
Bedard is going to be a special player for Chicago and adding a player like Hall to play with him is going to help him early in his career. What Hall can do that can be a benefit for the Blackhawks is his speed can create scoring chances for his teammates and finishing around the net has been one of his better attributes in Boston.
Related: Connor Bedard’s Path to 2023 Top Draft Pick: The Fun Stories
Also going back to Chicago from Boston is Foligno, which is another very interesting option for veteran leadership in their locker room. He is a UFA on July 1, so the Blackhawks have his rights and can try and work out a deal before he hits the open market. Wherever he has played, Boston, Columbus, or Toronto, Foligno has always been a highly regarded leader. Foligno is coming off a two-year, $7.6 million deal with the Bruins with an average annual value (AAV) of $3.8 million. At 35 years old, it won’t cost that to sign him and the Blackhawks should do everything possible to make it happen.
Blackhawks Grade: A-
Bruins Begin Salary Dumps to Clear Cap Space
The Bruins enter the offseason a cap-tight team and need to clear some significant money in order to begin assembling their 2023-24 roster that is going to 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 not come as a surprise that Hall was one of the first contracts moved out as he still has two years remaining on a four-year deal that carries a $6 million AAV.
Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Getting the Blackhawks to take on the full $6 million and not retaining any money is key for Bruins general manager (GM) Don Sweeney and he most likely isn’t done. There are other players that he could look to move like Matt Grzelcyk, Derek Forbort, Linus Ullmark, and Charlie Coyle. All four players carry at least a $3 million AAV.
Going back to Boston from Chicago are Regula and Mitchell, two restricted free agents (RFAs) this summer. Mitchell is someone that is well-known by Bruins coach Jim Montgomery as he played for him at the University of Denver for three seasons and he was selected by the Blackhawks in the second round of the 2017 Draft and 57th overall. Over the last three seasons, he has played in 82 games, including 35 this season, and has four goals and 12 assists. Organizational right-shot defensive prospects are very few and far between for the Bruins, so this is a move that could fill a gap in Boston as early as next season with the 24-year-old Mitchell, especially if Connor Clifton moves on in free agency, which is expected.
This move is the first of what is expected to be many more by Sweeney and begins to set the dominos into effect for next season.
