Taylor Hall wants to remain with Bruins long term, not currently worried about contract talks

Boston Bruins general manager Don Sweeney has received plenty of praise through the second half of the 2020-21 NHL season after acquiring Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Anders Bjork and a 2021 second-round pick. 

The deal has already paid off for the Bruins, and it's looking like one they should've made years ago when Hall was available. 

In a recent interview with ESPN's Emily Kaplan, the 29-year-old admitted that he hopes to remain with the Bruins for a while. However, he added that he's not currently worried about contract talks as Boston prepares to host the New York Islanders in Game 1 of the second round on Saturday. 

"I do want to play here, not just for one or two more years, hopefully longer than that," Hall said. "I don't even know what my worth is right now, honestly. I'm not worried about my contract right now, it's something we'll figure out in the summer. I have much bigger things to worry about as a player, as a teammate.

"I knew it was a great city, but I've been surprised at how much better it's been than I even thought it was. So hopefully it all works out."

Hall's desire to remain a Bruin doesn't just stem from his recent success with the club, though. After joining the Black & Gold last month, Hall said Boston was No. 1 on his trade list and that he'd "love to be a Bruin for a few years." He also added that he came "really close" to signing with the B's during the offseason. 

However, Hall told Kaplan that he wasn't angling for a move to Boston despite reports that stated otherwise. 

"Leading up to the deadline, there were a couple teams that were interested, I'm not going to say who they were, but if it would have worked out, I would have gone there," Hall said. "I wasn't just holding out for Boston. I was eager to join a playoff team. I was eager to join somewhere that had good culture, and where winning was sustainable."

Hall appears to be a match made in heaven for the Bruins. In 16 regular-season games, the Calgary native notched eight goals and six assists playing alongside David Krejci, who has been in desperate need of a solid winger since Milan Lucic and Nathan Horton left Boston years ago. Through five playoff games against the Washington Capitals, he tallied two goals and an assist. 

The former Hart Trophy winner will be a free agent this summer, and all signs point to him remaining with the Bruins, who will have a good amount of cap space with Krejci and netminder Tuukka Rask set to come off the books, though both of those guys need new contracts, too.