Winners and Losers of the Taylor Hall to the Chicago Blackhawks Trade

Well, the first domino in GM Don Sweeney's challenge to manage the Bruins' current cap-space situation has fallen.

Looking to gain more cap breathing room, Boston shipped out winger Taylor Hall to Chicago in a move that looks to be a pure cap dump.

Technically, it's the first two dominos, as Boston sent the former Hart Trophy winner Hall and upcoming unrestricted free agent Nick Foligno to the Blackhawks for the rights to pending free-agent defensemen Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula. It's ironic timing for Hall, a former No. 1 pick overall, as he heads to the team with the No. 1 pick overall this year just before Draft festivities get underway on Wednesday night.

The defending Presidents' Trophy winners now have nearly $11 million worth of cap space to play with, giving Sweeney some breathing room to find a way to improve an aging, but still talented roster.

So how does this affect the two franchises going forward? And will this mean more trades in the coming days?

Time for some Winners and Losers analysis, y'all.

On one hand, Hall could play next to potential generational talent in Connor Bedard and earn himself another solid contract. If Bedard is going to be as good as scouts and draftniks say he's going to be, there's ample opportunity for Hall to produce big-time numbers in Chicago.

On the other hand, the Bruins are simply a better team and will still be in postseason contention next season. The Blackhawks? Even with Bedard, not so much. There are too many holes in the roster for them to be serious a playoff threat next season or even two years down the line.

But hey, Hall didn't have Chicago on his no-trade list. Hall had a list of 16 teams to who he couldn't be traded to, but the Blackhawks weren't on there. To paraphrase an often-quoted line from The Godfather, it wasn't personal for Don Sweeney and the Bruins. Just business.

Could Hall end up playing somewhere else down the line? It's possible. Sixteen goals and 20 assists in 61 regular-season games are nothing to sneeze at and Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson might have some contenders later next season that could use a veteran scoring winger.

Until then, enjoy the deep dish pizza. And I repeat: Connor Bedard.

By God, is that Tyler Bertuzzi's music?

The Bruins fell in love with the forward they acquired from the Red Wings at the trade deadline and his electric playoff performance made it easy to see why. He was arguably the Bruins' best player in the series loss to the Panthers with 5 goals and 5 assists in the seven games against Florida.

He's earned himself a bit of a raise, though, as his $4.75 million cap hit is expiring. Re-signing him would've been impossible with Hall's contract, but now there's a bit more hope.

His physicality, dirty goal-scoring and sneaky skill fit in perfectly with the Bruins. Keeping Bertuzzi would be mutually beneficial to both parties.

We wondered how young Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson would follow up on unexpectedly getting gifted Bedard. Would he speed up the rebuild and accelerate the timeline?

It appears he's going that exact route, acquiring Hall, the former Hart trophy winner who scored 111 points in 158 regular-season games with the Bruins. Hall has still got game and he's got the experience to take Bedard under his wing. It also gives Bedard a pressure valve, someone he can look to while finding his game in the NHL.

Foligno is an unrestricted free agent and could wind up somewhere else besides Chicago when free agency opens on Saturday. But, for a team that is going to be quite young next season and will need a veteran presence, you can probably do a lot worse. The 35-year-old is an incredible voice in the locker room who you'd want to have an influence on your next star.

Don't get me wrong – it stinks that the Bruins have to make all of these tough decisions after the rollercoaster of a season they had. But it's best to just address the mess with a plan of attack as soon as possible, with Hall being the likeliest to go

He spent a lot of time on the Bruins' third line and while an effective third line is important, the production there can probably be found at a cheaper price. Meanwhile, Bertuzzi was playing the more important minutes at the end of the season and could thrive with even more responsibility. Other players like homegrown Jake DeBrusk can thrive up and down in the lineup and will be called upon next season to step up.

For Hall's price and age, getting him off the books was the best-worst decision the Bruins probably could've made – especially after signing David Pastrňák long-term. Now Boston can focus on taking care of their slew of free agents like defensive forward demi-god and captain Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí. If both veterans return, you can make the case that the contending window stays open for just a bit longer.

Buckle up, baby, because if you weren't ready for the influx of trades we're going to see this off-season, you're already behind.

Maybe Flyers GM Danny Brière trading Ivan Provorov while the Stanley Cup Final was still going on influenced other general managers in this notorious copy-cat league, but the trade rumors have been coming in hot, and with NHL draft week here, they aren't about to stop coming anytime soon.

We know that seemingly a good handful of the Flames players want out of Calgary and the rumors surrounding Erik Karlsson, Kevin Hayes, Pierre-Luc Dubois and Connor Hellebuyck haven't died down. With every GM in Nashville, it makes perfect sense for wheeling and dealing to commence in person at a good honky-tonk bar.

Do your research, folks, and learn to embrace the chaos.