NHL trade grade: Boston Bruins get Taylor Hall from Buffalo Sabres – Who wins trade?
The Boston Bruins have made their annual move for a top nine forward, acquiring 2018 Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall from the Buffalo Sabres.
Three things in life are a certainty – death, taxes, and the Boston Bruins trading for a forward at the NHL trade deadline. Recent years have seen names such as Charlie Coyle, Nick Ritchie, Marcus Johansson, and Rick Nash ship up to Boston. This time around, Taylor Hall is the guy heading to Beantown.
Late on Sunday night, the Bruins finalized a trade with the Buffalo Sabres to get the 2017-18 Hart Trophy winner in black and gold. In exchange for Hall, the Sabres are getting Boston’s 2021 second-round pick and forward Anders Bjork. Additionally, Curtis Lazar is heading to the Bruins to even things out.
Hall, when healthy, is extremely talented. While he only has two goals this season, it’s worth pointing out he has a microscopic 2.3% shooting percentage this season. By comparison, his career shooting percentage is 10%. Despite his inability to score this season, he still has 19 points. This proves that Hall, even when he’s not scoring, can still be a difference maker.
The Bruins and Hall both need each other
This is a perfect trade for both Taylor Hall and the Boston Bruins. At this point, they both need each other. The Bruins needed to add a legitimate difference maker to their second line and Hall has proven he can be a difference maker. With the perfection line of Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and David Pastrnak ahead of him, the pressure won’t be on Hall. That could lead to a resurgence.
Additionally, Hall needs the Bruins to rebuild his value. Right now, his value isn’t that great. It’s telling the Sabres weren’t able to get a first round pick for Hall in a market where Nick Foligno and David Savard each fetched the Columbus Blue Jackets a first round pick. Keep in mind the 2021 NHL Draft is effectively going to be a crapshoot since the COVID-19 pandemic has made scouting prospects even more difficult than it usually is.
Next. Leafs Acquire Nick Foligno. dark
If Hall can get back on track with the Bruins, both Hall and the Bruins should benefit greatly. And if it doesn’t, well, maybe Boston will win the draft lottery since Hall’s teams have been famously lucky at the draft lottery.