Sabres fans can complain no more about a lack of big moves from new General Manager Kevyn Adams as he inked Taylor Hall to a one-year $8 million deal.
The 28-year-old winger will be an immediate boost to a lackluster top6 forward group in Buffalo. Hall is just 2 years removed from winning the MVP trophy with the New Jersey Devils. In that season, Hall finished with 39 goals and 54 assists. The two seasons since have been a bit rocky after an injury riddled 2018-19, then a trade to Arizona after 30 games last season.
Playing with Jack Eichel is highly enticing for a guy who’s market may not have been as lucrative as past years. Hall will get the chance to play on Captain Jack’s left wing and find the form he had just two years ago. Essentially, Hall is betting on himself by taking the short-term deal.
If things don’t work well in Buffalo, Hall could always be shipped at the trade deadline or escape to free agency next summer. If things go well, Hall is looking at a big payday from someone and the Sabres may have found enough scoring to end their playoff streak.
The playoffs have generally eluded Hall in his 10-year NHL career. Hall has just 14 playoff games over that span. However, Hall is a very good regular season player; he has scored 218 goals and 563 points in 627 career games.
It will be a reunion for Hall and Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger as they both spent the 2012-13 season in Edmonton. Hall was quite high on Krueger although he was fired after just one shortened season.
It will still be a few months until we get to see Taylor Hall don the royal blue and gold Sabres sweater, but the signing has fans re-invigorated. Even Jack Eichel is happy with the deal as he used just two words to describe his feelings to ESPN’s John Buccigross, “Awesome signing!”.