The Sabers have agreed to trade Taylor Hall to the Bruins in a deal that will also see Curtis Lazar go to Boston, with Buffalo receiving Anders Bjork and a second round in 2021, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Hall waived his no-movement clause to facilitate the deal, which is pending a trade call. The Sabers withhold 50% of Hall’s salary, the source said.
TSN first reported the full trade agreement on Sunday evening.
Hall earned the 2018 MVP award with the New Jersey Devils, but has now traded twice in two years.
After the Devils traded Hall to the Arizona Coyotes during the 2019-2020 season, Hall signed an $ 8 million one-year contract with the Sabers in free agency last season. The 29-year-old counted on himself to increase his worth while playing Jack Eichel’s grand piano.
Instead, Buffalo’s season was a disaster. The Sabers endured a winless streak of 18 games, the longest in the salary cap era, firing coach Ralph Krueger in March. Eichel is injured and Hall has scored just two goals in 37 games.
Hall’s .51 points per game is a career worst, and he has a minus 21 rating, the fourth worst in the NHL this season.
Hall and Buffalo had shown mutual interest in a new contract earlier this season, but the Sabers are moving on.
In his 11-year career, Hall played in only 14 playoff games. He now joins a Boston team looking for at least one more Stanley Cup run from his veteran core. After parting ways with captain Zdeno Chara and veteran defender Torey Krug in the off-season, the Bruins are a work in progress in 2021.
Boston is currently clinging to fourth playoff spot in the East Division. However, the Bruins have a young blue line and are fifth among the worst in the league in 5-on-5 goals per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Prior to the Hall deal, the Bruins acquired defender Mike Reilly from the Ottawa Senators for a third round.