Taylor Hall has found his next home – and somewhat shockingly, it appears that home is right here in Buffalo, with the Sabres. Both Elliotte Friedman and Darren Dreger have reported the signing, which is a one-year deal worth $8 million.
No confirmation, but there are rumblings Taylor Hall is to going Buffalo on a short-term deal.
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) October 11, 2020
1 year $8 million. Hall signs with @BuffaloSabres https://t.co/tnU6ec6M3U
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) October 11, 2020
The team officially announced the signing at 7:41 p.m.
Hart Memorial Trophy winner. NHL All-Star. First overall pick.
Taylor Hall is coming to Buffalo! 🤩
Details: https://t.co/OuyTr0h2QC pic.twitter.com/msI6KB5a1J
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) October 11, 2020
Hall, 28, joins a list of left-wingers in Buffalo that includes Jeff Skinner and Victor Olofsson (who is headed to arbitration). The one-year, short-term deal also works out well for the Sabres, giving Hall some time to find his place in Buffalo before potentially signing a longer deal or moving on.
The former first-overall pick began his NHL career with the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him in 2010. After six seasons in Edmonton, Hall spent four years with the New Jersey Devils. He split this past season between New Jersey and Arizona, recording a combined 52 points in 65 games. He also put up six points in nine playoff games.
Overall, Hall has 627 regular-season NHL games under his belt and has recorded 563 points in that stretch, including 345 assists. He also won the Hart Trophy as the league’s most valuable player in 2018. The 28-year-old is already well familiar with Sabres head coach Ralph Krueger, as he played under him in Edmonton.
With an $8 million paycheck, Hall will be the third-highest paid player on the Sabres next season, behind only Jack Eichel ($10 mil) and Skinner ($9 mil.) It’s a nice raise for him, as his last deal was a seven-year term signed in 2012 that earned him $6 million AAV.
According to The Athletic’s John Vogl, Hall has a no-trade and no-move clause. Darren Dreger also clarified that the deal is $7 million in salary with a $1 million signing bonus.
Here’s another interesting tidbit about how the financial side of this works out for Hall:
Taylor Hall’s $8 million contract will actually pay him only $6.4 million due to escrow. And a further $640,000 of salary will be referred to a later year.
As such he’ll receive the lowest salary he’s had since his entry level contract ended in 2012-13.
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) October 11, 2020