The wait is over — Taylor Hall has found a home for next season. The star winger has signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Sabres worth $8 million per season, taking him off the market.
Taylor Hall via text message confirms he’s signed a one year deal worth $8 M with the Buffalo Sabres
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) October 11, 2020
Taylor Hall Signs Deal With Buffalo Sabres
Drafted first overall in 2010 by the Edmonton Oilers, Hall’s become a premier winger throughout his 10 seasons in the league. In 627 career games between the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, and Arizona Coyotes, Hall’s scored 218 goals and 345 assists for 563 points. His best season inarguably came in 2017-18 with the Devils, scoring at least 30 goals and 90 points for the only time in his career. He was also the recipient of the Hart Trophy that season as the league’s most valuable player.
Hall had somewhat of a down year last season but still, put up reasonable stats. In 65 games between the Devils and Coyotes, Hall scored 16 goals and 52 points. He made a positive impact on his teams’ possession metrics as well, posting a relative Corsi for of 1.5 percent.
For Hall, he looks to sustain playoff success for the first time in his career. He’s only made the playoffs twice out of his 10 NHL seasons, so winning was his highest priority this offseason. He’s been solid in his abbreviated playoff appearances, posting 12 points in 14 games. Yet, can the Sabres be in the playoffs now that they have added Hall? Good question.
For his new team, they get an instant boost to their offence. Hall suits in well playing either first- or second-line minutes, and will slot in easily with most centres. He should be able to be at least a 70-point contributor when healthy, and looks to create one of the best offences in the league with his new squad.
However, Hall won’t be valuing these individual metrics. He took this deal because he wants to win, plain and simple. He’ll attempt to do just that in the coming seasons. It becomes unclear why Hall signed with Buffalo. They certainly haven’t been an example of winning hockey. Yet, adding Hall to a team with Jack Eichel may change that environment completely. Practically no hockey expert predicted this outcome.
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