Will the Sabres hold out Hall eventually?
Pierre LeBrun: Wonder if/when the Buffalo Sabres decide to pull Taylor Hall out of their lineup to protect him from injury ahead of the trade deadline. Not all teams would do something like this but it may be smart to do consider this at some point.
Sabres may not get first for Hall
WGR 500: There are those around Buffalo who are hoping that the Sabres would be able to get a first-round pick for Taylor Hall. Elliotte Friedman:
“Yeah, I don’t see that right now, unless, the only way that changes is if there’s two or three teams that say that we absolutely have to have him.
But thing is, he’s a rental this year, right? Unless he’s signed to a contract extension, he’s a rental. And you’re going to have to believe that it’s all going to change that quickly. If it’s Canada it’s through the quarantine, right? So it makes it tougher.”
**NHLRumors.com transcription
TSN: Darren Dreger was asked on TSN about Taylor Hall and his value. Ed Olczyk had mentioned previously that the asking price included a first-round pick.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
“Look, but that’s always the ask, right? Particularly for higher-end, pending unrestricted free agent players. There is no guarantee that Adams is going to get it but of course, he’s going to ask for it, or the equivalent of a first-round pick and it might be a better prospect. How do you know? That’s the ask two weeks outside of the trade deadline.
But then you get to April 8th, 9th, maybe as late as the 10th and you got no buyers. Well, nobody that’s willing to come even close to paying that price. You’ve got to reset. I’m sure there would be teams with interest but, again, Buffalo would have to retain money in the way they did in the Eric Staal trade with Montreal.
Even though you get closer to the trade deadline, the salary is more paid, the salary cap issue becomes less of an issue. All of those things.
….
I respect opinion based on play of Taylor Hall right now. it’s tough to give up that pick, but as we get closer to that deadline, and you’ve got teams that have a specific need, and now you’ve got owners breathing down your neck saying, “Look, we need a piece here. I think we’re a Stanley Cup contender. Let’s go all-in here.”
There maybe someone that steps up and pays that price.”