Bruins trade Hall, Foligno to Blackhawks

The Boston Bruins have traded Taylor Hall and the rights to Nick Foligno to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for pending restricted free agents Alec Regula and Ian Mitchell.

The move clears Hall's $6 million salary from the Bruins' books. He is signed at the cap hit through the 2024-25 season on the four-year extension he signed with Boston in 2021.Foligno is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Regula, a 22-year-old defenceman, appeared in four games with the Blackhawks this season, going without a point. The 2018 third-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings had five goals and 21 points in 51 games with the AHL's Rockford IceHogs.

Mitchell, a 24-year-old defenceman, had one goal and eight points in 35 games with the Blackhawks this season. Selected by Chicago in the second round of the 2017 draft, he has four goals and 16 points in 82 career NHL games.

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston notes Hall had a 16-team no-trade list, which did not include the Blackhawks.

The 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner, Hall scored 16 goals and 36 points in 61 games with the Bruins this past season, his third with the team. He added five goals and eight points in seven playoff games.

Drafted with the first-overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, Hall joins his sixth team in his 13-year NHL career. He has spent time with the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres and Bruins.

Hall, 31, won the Hart Trophy, awarded to the most valuable player in hockey, with the Devils, when he set career highs with 39 goals and 54 assists for a total of 93 points in 76 games.

This is the fourth trade Hall has been a part of in his career – the Bruins acquired Hall via trade on April 12, 2021.

In 822 career NHL games, Hall has 264 goals and 693 points.

Foligno, 35, played in 68 regular-season games for the Bruins last season, scoring 10 goals and recording 27 points. 

The Buffalo, N.Y., native added three points (one goal, two assists) in six playoff games for the Bruins against the Florida Panthers in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

Originally a draft pick of the Ottawa Senators (28th overall) in the 2006 NHL Draft, Foligno played five seasons with the Sens before being traded in July of 2012 to the Columbus Blue Jackets for Marc Methot. 

Foligno spent the 2012-13 season through the 2020-21 season with the Blue Jackets, earning Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award and King Clancy Memorial Trophy honours in the 2016-17 season. Foligno was acquired by the Toronto Maple Leafs as part of a three-team deal that included the San Jose Sharks. 

Foligno later signed a two-year deal with the Bruins worth $7.6M as a free agent.

Dreger adds that Blackhawks are hopeful they will be able to sign the pending unrestricted free agent. 

Bertuzzi to stay put?

With Hall's cap space now cleared, Johnston notes the Bruins will likely take a run at re-signing Tyler Bertuzzi before he becomes an unrestricted free agent on Saturday.

Bertuzzi, 28, split the 2022-23 season between the Detroit Red Wings and Boston Bruins and posted eight goals and 22 assists in 50 games between the two teams.

The Sudbury, Ont., native was acquired by the Bruins on March 2.

Bertuzzi had five goals and five assists for the Bruins in the playoffs as they fell to the Florida Panthers in seven games.

He is coming off a two-year, $9.5 million deal he signed with Detroit in 2021. The contract carried an average annual value of $4.75 million.

Bertuzzi has 92 goals and 126 assists in 326 career regular-season games.