Bruins trade Taylor Hall, Nick Foligno to Blackhawks: How the deal impacts both sides – MyCyberBase

By Mark Lazerus, Pierre LeBrun, Scott Powers and Fluto Shinzawa

The Chicago Blackhawks acquired forward Taylor Hall and the rights to pending unrestricted free-agent forward Nick Foligno in a trade with the Boston Bruins, the teams announced Monday. Here’s what you need to know:

• The Bruins received the rights to restricted free agents Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula in the trade.
• The move will shed Hall’s $6 million cap hit for the 2023-24 season.
• Hall tallied 16 goals and 36 points in 61 games for the Bruins last season. The 31-year-old, drafted No. 1 by Edmonton in 2010, was dealt to Boston in a trade from Buffalo in April 2021.
• Foligno, who had 26 points in 60 games last season, is set to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The Athletic’s instant analysis:

Where does Hall fit in the Blackhawks’ lineup?

Hall is the obvious choice to play alongside Connor Bedard, which allows the Blackhawks to separate Bedard and Lukas Reichel, their other top young forward (both Hall and Reichel are primarily left wings). At 31, Hall might not be the same player he was when he won the 2018 Hart Trophy with the Devils, but he’s still a strong two-way player who gives Bedard a real weapon to work with. Hall had five goals in seven playoff games this spring and scored 36 goals over the past two seasons.

Foligno will be an unrestricted free agent on Saturday, but the Blackhawks can negotiate with him in the meantime if they want to add a little muscle and veteran savvy to the lineup. — Lazerus

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NHL trade grades: Bruins send Taylor Hall to Blackhawks in win-win deal

Why the Bruins traded Hall

The Bruins liked Hall. He served them well, mostly as their No. 3 left wing.

But at times, he was strictly a five-on-five player. He did not get on the No. 2 power-play unit. He did not kill penalties. In that regard, Hall was a luxury — a 31-year-old one at $6 million annually, at that.

So while their even-strength offense will suffer without Hall, it is the price the Bruins decided was worth paying in pursuit of cap flexibility. They are currently projected to have $11.5 million with 14 players under contract for 2023-24 who are expected to make the roster. Jeremy Swayman, Trent Frederic and Jakub Lauko are their pending restricted free agents — Shinzawa

Impact on the Blackhawks’ cap space

The Blackhawks entered this week knowing they’d have to make a few big moves to the cap floor. That was going to come either through trade or free agency. It looks like they discovered the path through trade. With the players already signed for next season, Philipp Kurashev expected to be re-signed and Bedard expected to be drafted and join the NHL roster, the Blackhawks were estimated to need around $10 million to reach the cap floor.

Hall will take up a bulk of that with a $6 million cap hit. Foligno might take up the rest. He is about to become an unrestricted free agent, but you would expect the Blackhawks to get him a contract before he hits the market. He’s coming off a two-year deal that had a $3.8 million cap hit. — Powers

How does trading Mitchell and Regula affect Chicago?

Mitchell and Regula may not have had long-term futures with the Blackhawks, but they did fill a need for them organizationally as right-handed-shot defensemen. With them gone, the Blackhawks’ only signed right-handed defensemen are Seth Jones, Connor Murphy, Nikita Zaitsev and Louis Crevier.

The Blackhawks don’t have many in the pipeline either. Sam Rinzel is the main one, but he’s at least a few years away from even turning pro. It could be an area the Blackhawks look to address in this draft and in free agency. — Powers

What comes next for the Bruins?

They can allocate the savings toward their RFAs-to-be. They can also engage more freely in talks to re-sign Tyler Bertuzzi and Garnet Hathaway, who will both be unrestricted. Bertuzzi could take some of Hall’s shifts at left wing. The ex-Red Wing is three years younger. Hathaway could be their fourth-line right wing.

Both Mitchell, 24, and Regula, 22, are right-shot defensemen. They could contend for the opening that will come when Connor Clifton goes to free agency. Clifton wants to stay in Boston. But Clifton also wants to determine his value on the market. Mitchell and Regula will be restricted. — Shinzawa

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(Photo: Eliot J. Schechter / NHLI via Getty Images)