With five regular season games to go for the Bruins, we have yet to see the full of impact of GM Don Sweeney’s impressive handiwork at the trade deadline.
But we’re getting closer.
Taylor Hall, out with a lower body injury since Feb. 25, skated for the first time in a full-contact jersey and on an intriguing third line combination with center Charlie Coyle and right wing Tyler Bertuzzi at the B’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday.
Hall said that there are still some “conversations” that need to be had before he gets in the lineup and coach Jim Montgomery termed him as “doubtful” for Thursday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, though it should be pointed out that the coach expressed similar pessimism the day before Brad Marchand and then Charlie McAvoy made their season debuts after their respective offseason surgeries.
Whether the team is leaning into some superstition or there’s a still a lingering medical issue (there’s also the salary cap concern), we should find out on Thursday morning if Hall is a go for the Leafs or not.
Whenever he does get back in the lineup, that third line has the makings at least of being a championship one.
“Tyler’s been a really good addition to our team,” said Hall after the brisk workout. “He sees the ice really well. I didn’t know quite what type of player he was before he got here but he makes plays, he keeps plays alive all over the ice. If that’s who I’m playing with whenever I’m back, that’s a really good guy to inject on that line.”
The promise on paper doesn’t always work out on the ice, however. Montgomery is excited about the possibilities of the unit, but he believes all three players will have to nudge their way out of their own comfort zones to make it really click. All three possess varying degrees of a set-up man mentality.
“We think it’s going to really good, because you’ve got three players with really good hockey sense with all different tool sets,” said Montgomery. “I think everyone’s going to be a little more shot-first. There’s no true shot-first player on the line but if they can wear people down below the tops of the circles and with Hall there being able to make plays off the rush, we could see him beat people not only one-on-one but going around people wide. They’ve just all got to be shot-ready. That’s the only thing that would prevent them from being a fairly dominant line.”
At the time that Hall suffered his lower body injury in Vancouver (he politely declined to discuss the details of the injury), the winger’s production had fallen off. He’d had scoreless streaks of three, four and five games since just before Christmas.
The time off should provide provide a little more juice for him.
“I feel good,” he said. “I tried to use the off time while everyone else was playing to rest up and to get my mind as good as possible for hopefully a long playoff run. I feel rested, I feel like I have some gas that some guys around the league might not have, just having this break. It’s something I’ve tried to utilize the best I can.”
Hall did get a second opinion on his injury, but he remained confident he’d be OK.
“You never know. You go through the process and all that stuff, but I wasn’t as concerned as some other people might have been,” said Hall. “I always had a lot of optimism and I know my body pretty well, so I was optimistic that I’d get back on skates and feel pretty good and that’s been the case. I’m just taking it day by day and I really stuck with a really solid plan with the medical staff and it’s been really good. I’m really happy with where I’m at.”
Montgomery said it would be “ideal” to get Hall into some games before the end of the regular season.
“That’s the plan,” said Hall. “Don’t know for sure, but whether it’s the start of playoffs or (Thursday) or whatever, I’m ready to go. I’m ready to play whenever that is. It’s exciting around here. Everyone knows the expectations that are on the outside and what we believe in this room but it’s a lot of fun rejoining the group. When you’re in the thick of things, you don’t quite realize how special it is. Then you get some time on the outside to rejoin the group and you see how exciting it is. If I do get a couple of games, that’s great. But if not, we’ll play it by ear.”
David Krejci, who missed Sunday’s game with what was labeled a lower body injury, left Wednesday’s practice early. He could sit out the game against the Leafs.
“I think he still had some discomfort. We’re going to be very precautionary right now. He’s questionable for (Thursday),” said Montgomery.
Montgomery said Nick Foligno and Derek Forbort, both out with lower body injuries, should be ready for the playoffs, which begin on April 17. While Forbort hasn’t started skating yet, Foligno has been skating with the team in a red non-contact jersey.
“We’re very lucky with the depth that we have and very lucky that Hall’s going to be a real option for us. We’re also hoping that Foligno and Forbort are going to be, so all of our options – knock on – will be at our disposal come playoff time,” said Montgomery. …
With Hall skating on the Coyle line, Trent Frederic skated on what could be a tough fourth line with Tomas Nosek and Garnet Hathaway.