Taylor Hall may have played his last game with the Sabres after the team announced he will sit for Tuesday’s meeting with the Devils.
Hall is not injured, it’s just a case of general manager Kevyn Adams protecting his biggest asset six days before the NHL trade deadline.
“It’s part of the business, we all know that. Taylor knows that,” said interim head coach Don Granato. “This game keeps you in the moment and that’s preparation for New Jersey. We had a good meeting on them this morning and our focus points and objectives going into the game.”
With the Sabres headed for another draft lottery and at the bottom of the NHL standings (.297 points percentage), Hall will be one of the players traded in the next week. After signing a one-year, $8M deal with Buffalo in October, the move hasn’t panned out, with it being a season to forget for the team and player. Through 37 games, he has two goals and 19 points.
[ProHockeyTalk’s 2020-21 NHL Trade Tracker]
Moving Hall would be the second big trade Adams has swung in recent weeks after dealing Eric Staal to the Canadiens for two picks. Defenseman Brandon Montour, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent in the off-season, is also attracting attention.
Devils forward Kyle Palmieri, another player expected to be dealt, will remain out of the lineup after being a healthy scratch on Sunday.
————
Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.