The Buffalo Sabres have traded forward Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar to the Boston Bruins for second-round pick and Anders Bjork.
The Sabres are retaining 50 percenter of Hall’s $8 million salary.
The 29-year old Hall was drafted first overall in the 2010 draft by the Edmonton Oilers. He carries an $8 million salary cap hit and will be free agent after the season.
The 26-year old Lazar was drafted 17th overall in the first round of the 2013 NHL draft by the Ottawa Senators. He carries an $800,000 cap hit through next season.
The 24-year old Bjork was drafted 146th overall in the fifth round of the 2014 draft by the Bruins. He carries a $1.6 million cap hit through 2022-23.
Thoughts from the media
Paul Hamilton: “As I’ve said all along, I didn’t blame Adams for attempting to get a first round pick, but after his last two season, I didn’t think he’d be able to get it.”
Mike Harrington: “Underwhelming to say the least.”
Bill Hoppe: “I don’t get giving up Curtis Lazar. He’s an asset, he’s young, coming into his prime. You need him.”
John Vogl: “Curtis Lazar, who is out injured, has one more year at $800,000. A good value player”
Ryan Kennedy: “I cannot imagine how Sabres fans are feeling right now”
Jesse Marshall: “Lol this seems like not a lot”
Joe Haggerty: “Don Sweeney was holding firm about not trading Boston’s first round pick again this season. He managed to accomplish that while getting some much needed help for the Bruins”
Dan Rosen: “Getting Hall without giving up a 1st round pick, as reports indicate, makes a difference. But Hall’s production this season (2 goals, 17 assists in 37 games) doesn’t jump off the page. It’d be paying for reputation to give up a 1st round pick. BOS is paying for value and impact.”
Adam Gretz: “The only explanation I can think of is Hall used his no-trade clause to pick his spot and that is the best Buffalo could do under the circumstances.”
Evan Marinofsky: “This is an amazing deal for the Bruins. A steal by Don Sweeney.”
Evan Marinofsky: “Anders Bjork needed a change of scenery. Always thought it would be Seattle, but he’ll get plenty of opportunities in Buffalo. Really hope it works out for him.”
Matt Porter: “If Sweeney and Co. don’t foresee the Bruins getting healthy at some point and making a legit run, do they make this trade? Clearly they believe.”
Ty Anderson: “Love gamble on Hall. You could tell that Bjork was clearly on the outs, and a second compared to first makes it way easier to take shot at him bouncing out of Buffalo hell (2.3 SH%). Bruins inject middle-six with some much-needed high-end skill. Now we’ll see if it translates.”
Pete Blackburn: “Almost impossible to dislike the Hall deal. Even if you don’t think Bruins should buy, you get Hall for a guy who was on his way out & a 2nd round pick. At the very least, you get some time to maybe work out an extension while his value is at an all-time low”
Amalie Benjamin: “… it’s worth it for the Bruins, even in a season that was going down the tubes fast. They don’t have a lot more (any more?) bites at the apple with their key pieces.”
Shawn Hutcheon: “If the return for Hall is Anders Bjork and a 2nd round draft pick as reported, personally, I’m okay with moving Bjork. He didn’t live up to his billing. He’ll be a decent bottom 6 forward during his career. Not a fan of repeatedly giving up draft picks though.”
Neal McHale: “You can crap on the Taylor Hall trade and Buffalo all you want because the whole thing just never worked. But as if the cap hit wasn’t restrictive enough, he also had a full no-move.”
Steve Dangle: “It’s a ridiculously good deal for the Bruins. For Buffalo, I don’t understand the urgency to get a deal done, at that price, at midnight before the deadline.”
Todd Cordell: “GAR since the beginning of 2019-20:
Bjork –> 4.3
Lazar –> 4.2
On-ice impacts are similar and neither produces much offense. There’s no big catch here for the Sabres. Full-stop, they landed a late 2nd for Hall.”
Sabres cpu gm said hell no #PS5Share, #NHL®21 pic.twitter.com/7LQDdYXbfN
— Tony X (@soIoucity) April 12, 2021
Taylor Hall
Hall has actually been decent, with awful luck in Buffalo pic.twitter.com/pVIjxVHFUe
— RkB (@reversekneebar) April 11, 2021
Taylor Hall isn’t a goal-scorer. He never really was outside of his Hart season. But to act as though this season is a normal progression as opposed to a shocking outlier is pretty ridiculous. pic.twitter.com/KDb5mfJBvB
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 7, 2021
taylor hall’s value has… fallen off a cliff over the last two seasons #meepmeep pic.twitter.com/CjMEDHGffp
— dom at the athletic (@domluszczyszyn) April 12, 2021
Curtis Lazar
Curtis Lazar, reportedly acquired by BOS, is a pretty okay defensive fourth liner. #NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/LvuDN0fnr6
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 12, 2021
Anders Bjork
Anders Bjork, reportedly acquired by BUF, is a low-event bottom six forward who’s played extremely soft minutes without generating much of anything offensively. No, despite the WAR% he is not better than Taylor Hall. #LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/qKiqr9TMAm
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) April 12, 2021