NHL free agency: Taylor Hall to sign with Buffalo Sabres

According to Elliotte Friedman, the Buffalo Sabres are about to sign Taylor Hall.

Everyone has been wondering where Taylor Hall will go in NHL free agency. Well, he might be close to signing somewhere nobody expected – in Buffalo. According to the latest rumors, Taylor Hall is expected to sign a short-term deal with the Buffalo Sabres.

This rumor comes from Elliotte Friedman, who dropped the most surprising rumor we’ve seen since the Jack Eichel trade rumors. It’s for one year and $8 million, per Friedman.

Wow, what can I say? This is really freaking surprising. All signs pointed to Hall signing a massive long-term deal or a short-term deal with a serious Stanley Cup contender. Nobody would have guessed the Sabres, but this is 2020, so why the heck not? Let’s go.

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Why Hall Makes Sense For Buffalo

In case you missed it, Eichel isn’t overly happy in Buffalo. He’s someone who wants to win, and that’s something he hasn’t done much of since being drafted with the second overall pick in the 2015 draft.

One reason why is because Eichel has rarely had very skilled linemates. With Hall, the Sabres suddenly have a very scary top line. And if the Sabres decide to go back to putting Jeff Skinner with Eichel, which worked during the 2018-19 season, that should make their top-six forward group much better.

Maybe the Sabres are finally starting to surround Eichel with the talent he needs to make them Stanley Cup contenders. Earlier this year, I wrote the Sabres needed to consider the Eichel trade rumors a wake up call to get their act together. It appears they woke up.

Why Buffalo Makes Sense For Hall

Hall might not have had too much interest from most Stanley Cup contenders, since most of them are likely up against the cap ceiling. He wasn’t getting the long-term deal he wanted either. So maybe Hall’s just building up his value by playing with Jack Eichel. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me.

Or maybe Taylor Hall just really likes playing for bad teams. Who knows. But whatever the reason Hall apparently wants to play in Buffalo, the Sabres are the beneficiaries.