The Bruins will also get Curtis Lazar for Anders Bjork and a second-round pick. The Bruins acquired Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar in a Buffalo Sabres deal, the team reported Monday morning.
The Bruins sent Anders Bjork, a second-round selection, to Buffalo for this year’s draught.
This season, Hall has two goals and 17 assists in 37 games, while Lazar, 26, has five goals and four assists in 33 games.
Hall, a 6-1, 206-pound centre in the NHL’s 12th season. Lazar, an eighth season 6-3, 193-pound centre.
Announcement
ESPN as well as Sportsnet and TSN announced Monday’s deal was in the works just after midnight. According to TSN’s Pierre LeBrun, Buffalo will pay half of Hall’s $8.8 million salaries to get the deal completed.
The Bruins announced a trade for Ottawa defenseman Mike Reilly on Sunday night for a third-round pick in 2022.
The Bruins, who were blown out by the Capitals (8-1) on Sunday, responded by acquiring Hall, the former MVP and rumored multi-season trade target, as well as a term injured forward (Lazar) and a strong offensive defenseman (Reilly).
Bjork – Taylor Hall
Bjork, a 24-year-old, middle-six winger, and a second-rounder isn’t a heavy price for Hall, who could end up being the Bruins’ bonafide top-six winger all year round.
He’s a puck-rushing playmaker who can change games with his offensive pace.
Hall looks like a fit on David Krejci’s left wing, with Jake DeBrusk or Craig Smith on the right. He should reinforce an offensively-challenged squad. The Bruins rank 27th out of 31 teams with 5 goals (2.04 per 60 minutes, according to Natural Stat Trick). In addition, his puck-carrying ability can assist a battered defense in getting out of its own zone more frequently.
Some Bruins fans may recall Hall, 29, as the 2010 draught No. 1 overall pick, one ahead of Tyler Seguin’s Boston selection. He’s bounced a half-season from New Jersey to Arizona, then this year to Buffalo.
In 2017-18, he scored 93 points in 76 Devils games, dragging them to a surprising playoff appearance and winning the Hart Trophy. Despite left-knee problems the following season, he averaged more than one point per game (37 of 33). His performance has since dipped; he was traded to Arizona last midseason before landing on a $8 million contract with the Sabres last offseason soon to expire.
This season, he’s 2-17–19 in 37 games, shooting an uncharacteristically low 2.27 percent.In his 39-goal MVP season, he scored 14.03% of his shots on a Brad Marchand-like.
Hall, whose previously worn Nos. 4 and 9 are retired in Boston, may donate last season’s No. 91 to the Coyotes.
When debuting, new players weren’t immediately understood. The Bruins will not play Monday. They’re playing Tuesday at TD Garden Sabres.
Lazar is a defensive-minded bottom-six forward.He’s classified as a week-to-week lower-body injury. He has another year costing $800,000 against the limit. He scored five goals and four assists in 33 Buffalo games.
Reilly, 27, had a career-high 19 assists in 40 games before the Senators sent him to Boston. He’ll be a free agent after the season.
Bjork, a fifth-round selection in 2014, couldn’t find a permanent home in the Bruins’ lineup (2-3–5 in 30 games). In 138 four-year games, he scored 16 goals and 23 assists. He’s left on a three-year, $4.8 million contract signed last July.
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