By Jordan Long
One of the top forwards in NHL free agency, Tyler Hall, has made his decision. Hall was with the Arizona Coyotes who acquired him on December 16th, 2019. The Coyotes made the playoffs and even advanced past the qualifying round but were knocked off by the Colorado Avalanche in 5 games of the 1st-round. Arizona let him test free agency and knew he wasn’t going to come back.
Rumors were Hall was going to sign a contract with a contending team who had a chance to win a Stanley Cup. Those in the running where the Colorado Avalanche, Edmonton Oilers, and the Boston Bruins. All of these franchises made sense. They are contenders. For Colorado and Edmonton, they both have a young core who will be favorites to win the Stanley Cup for the next 3 or 4 years. It was expected Colorado was the favorite to land Hall and it was going to be announced soon.
Hall made a surprising move and agreed to a 1-year contract with the Buffalo Sabers. The Sabers were one of the worst teams in the NHL. They finished with a record of 30-31-8 for a total of 68 points but didn’t qualify for the postseason. It was the 9th straight year Buffalo missed the playoffs. The Sabers last went past the 1st-round in 2007 and are rebuilding once again.
Hall should have considered going to Colorado, Boston, Edmonton, or any other team that was in the postseason. In Buffalo, he may put up 15 to 20 goals next year which will help the Sabers improve in the standings. Hall is not enough for them to become a playoff team. Hall must feel the Sabers are a better fit for him than any team that was in the postseason.
This move for Hall seemed like it was more for the money than having a chance to win a Cup. He is going to be paid $8 million, a lot for 1-year which could be a rental. It is possible that if the Sabers start to slide in the standings next season, he could be traded to a team in playoff position.
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