Toronto Maple Leafs are very interested in signing Taylor Hall

The Boston Bruins are currently pursuing extending Taylor Hall’s tenure with the team, but the Toronto Maple Leafs are among the big name clubs that could pursue him if he opts to sign elsewhere instead.

Hall and the Bruins are negotiating a contract extension, but there’s “outside interest as well,” reports TSN’s Darren Dreger, who adds the Maple Leafs are included in that group.

Hall is one of the biggest names on the current UFA market as we have discussed before in other articles:

“Toronto Maple Leafs: Hall owns a home in Toronto and said he is prioritizing fit over money. The Leafs can provide Hall a great fit beside Matthews or Tavares. They may just not have the cash to do it.”

On June 15, Bruins general manager Don Sweeney said both the club and player were amenable to him re-signing. Less than a week earlier, Hall said he saw a fit with Boston and wasn’t looking to maximize his value in free agency.

Of course what a UFA player says and actually does are two separate things as many NHL teams have learned over the years.

Toronto currently holds roughly $9.3 million in cap space with nine pending UFAs, including goaltender Frederik Andersen and forward Zach Hyman, according to CapFriendly.

Hall struggled with the Buffalo Sabres this previous season before they traded him to the Bruins in April for practically nothing. The 29-year-old winger then flourished with Boston, racking up eight goals and six assists over 16 regular-season games and also adding three goals and two assists in 11 playoff games.