Fantasy Hockey Impact: Taylor Hall lands in Chicago
If you’re looking to compile an early list of some potential sleepers for fantasy hockey next season, Taylor Hall better make the cut.
Full trade, per sources:
To #NHLBruins: Rights to RFAs Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula.
To #Blackhawks: Taylor Hall, rights to UFA Nick Foligno.
No salary retained by Boston, this represents a pure salary dump to clear $6 million off Bruins' books.
Talk about a garden seat. The move to the Windy City effectively assures a guaranteed boost for Hall’s stock in the fall. That’s because it all but guarantees he’ll be skating alongside Wednesday night’s expected No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard for at least the next two seasons.
PRESENTED BY BETWAY
Despite the fact that it has to sting – at least a little – leaving a Bruins team that’s coming off the best regular season output of all-time, it could be worse for the 32-year-old winger. In Bedard, Hall gets a phenom with a glass ceiling primed for 20 years of greatness in the National Hockey League. There’s a reason he’s had the term, ‘generational talent’ attached to him for the last x number of years now. The kid’s the real deal.
Furthermore, if you’re Hall, for a variety of reasons, you’re licking your chops. He has two years remaining on his current contract, which means he’ll be eligible for an extension next summer. Can someone say cha-ching?
While it’s impossible to predict the future, if Hall maintains his standing on Chicago’s top line, he has a chance to do big things. After being a secondary option in Boston for the past couple of years, he’ll be right back in the thick of things in Chicago. If I were to handicap things – and I know a lot can happen over the next few weeks – I think a potential trio of Hall, Bedard, and Lukas Reichel makes a lot of sense. Of course, all that will be up to Luke Richardson and company.
While there’s no question that the Hawks will likely stink next season, anyone with prolific attachment to Bedard is worth a flier —at the very least.