The most talked about rental this season has finally found a home, as the Boston Bruins have returned from their 8-1 loss tonight and will gain Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabers according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. John Buccigross of ESPN was the first to suggest a deal on Twitter (in a rather fun way). Darren Dreger of the TSN reports that the business will be Hall and hurt before Curtis Lazarus for Anders Bjork and a choice in the second round. According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Sabers have retained 50% of Hall’s $ 8 million cap by the end of this season.
Hall had full control over this process, as he had a no-move clause and could block a transaction to any team in the league. He decided to give up that clause to go to Boston. Notes David Pagnotta from the fourth period that the New York Islanders and Washington Capitals were also on the run earlier today. The fact that Sabers failed to secure a selection in the first round for Hall will be the place for Buffalo fans, but Hall is in the middle of a brutal season. Although you can’t forget that he was the league’s MVP in 2018, you can’t ignore the fact that he scored only two goals in 37 games for the Sabers this year.
However, giving up just one second and Bjork, who has only two goals of his own this season, is crazy for the Bruins, with their eyes on the post-season disputes. If Hall can find an appearance of his past self in Boston, he can be a difference on the second line, giving the team a few secondary scores that they have been missing for so long.
Bjork has established himself as an NHL player with good defensive skills, but will turn 25 later this summer and has just 39 points in 138 regular-season games. An important factor here is that it is under contract until the 2022-23 season, at a reasonable price of $ 1.6 million, but it is not as if it has had a huge impact on the reconstruction of the Sabers. In fact, it could be argued that Lazar can offer about the same value when he is healthy and under contract until next season for only $ 800,000. Moving Bjork to tomorrow does not seem ruled out if Sabers can find an interested party.
The Bruins also receive a capacity of $ 4 million, which is much larger than some of the other names that have recently moved. The fact that I can absorb that blow is why Hall’s price is so low, because he didn’t have to involve another team, which would have meant giving up another asset. Even without entering the long-term injured reserve, the Bruins should have enough room to fit Hall after they sent Bjork in the opposite direction.
At the end of the day, this deal will mean nothing to Boston if Hall can’t find its form. The team took high-profile wings in front and made them fight, but Hall will certainly be surrounded by more talent in his new locker room. In all likelihood, the 29-year-old winger will only receive his third post-season chance this year, although there is no guarantee at this time. Boston is now just four points ahead of the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers for fourth place in the Eastern Division (although they have two games in hand), which means Hall will have to start contributing immediately if he wants to get another taste. of the playoffs.
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