Taylor Hall signed a three-year, $9.5 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday. The deal, which starts next season, has an average annual value of $3.17 million.
The 33-year-old forward was in the final season of a four-year, $24 million contract ($6 million average annual value) he signed with the Boston Bruins on July 23, 2021, and could have become an unrestricted free agent after the season.
“Now that I have a family, it’s important to be somewhere where I’m comfortable,” Hall said. “This team, from the moment I got here, made me feel comfortable, the coaching staff pushed me. The guys in the room have been incredible at making me feel welcome, making me feel like this is a place I want to be. I feel very fortunate to be a Hurricane, and I can’t wait for what the future holds for us.”
Hall had 18 points (nine goals, nine assists) in 31 games with the Hurricanes after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks, along with forward Mikko Rantanen, as part of the three-way trade Jan. 24 that included the Colorado Avalanche.
“To be honest, I’m still learning things here or there,” Hall said. “I’m still picking up the finer points of our [defensive] zone system. The other two-thirds of the ice is about pressure and trying to get the puck back in our hands, and that allows me to use what I think is my greatest strength, which is my skating.
“When I’m playing well for the Hurricanes, I’m skating and puck pressuring and we’re turning pucks over and playing in the other team’s end. I’ve had a lot of fun getting to play with this team and the high-pressure system we play. It allows me to play with not a lot of thinking.”
He also had three points (one goal, two assists) during the Hurricanes’ five-game win against the New Jersey Devils in the Eastern Conference First Round. His goal 1:46 into the second period of Game 5 on Tuesday started the Hurricanes’ comeback from a 3-0 deficit for a 5-4 double-overtime series-clinching victory.
“Taylor has proven to be an outstanding fit for our team, and we are thrilled that he is excited to make Raleigh his home for another three seasons,” Hurricanes general manager Eric Tulsky said. “He’s been a solid veteran presence in the locker room and a difference maker on the ice.”
Tulsky said he was eager to solidify Hall’s future with the Hurricanes.
“I don’t think either of us ever doubted that it would get done,” he said. “It was just a matter of finding the deal that got everybody what they wanted.”
Hall had 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in 77 games with the Blackhawks and Hurricanes this season.
Selected by the Edmonton Oilers with the No. 1 pick of the 2010 NHL Draft, Hall has 739 points (284 goals, 455 assists) in 909 regular-season games with the Oilers, Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Bruins, Blackhawks and Hurricanes. He also has 32 points (15 goals, 17 assists) in 44 Stanley Cup Playoff games.
He won the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player with the Devils in 2018.