Well, let's hope that Kevyn Adams has a bigger summer in store. The 2021 NHL Trade Deadline has passed, meaning that the roster we have now is here for the long haul. With a lost season at hand, Adams was tasked with finding some value in players that weren’t going to stay beyond this season. Let’s try and break these down the best and most fair we can.
MTL Receives: Eric Staal (50% Salary Retained)
BUF Receives: 2021 3rd Round Pick + 2021 5th Round Pick
To say the Eric Staal experiment didn’t work out would be a bit of an understatement. Being brought in to finally fill the second-line center spot that’s been empty since O’Reilly was traded, Staal’s tenure in Buffalo was a disaster. While he started somewhat promising with 5 points in his first 9 games, as soon as the losses started piling on after the Sabres’ COVID pause, it felt like Staal had disappeared. His days were numbered, and eventually, Kevyn Adams found a suitor in the Montreal Canadiens.
Being brought in to solidify the center depth for a young Montreal group, Staal can hopefully be an addition that can help send them to the playoffs. This data shows that Staal still has the potential to be a decent middle-six guy, with offensive impacts still being decent, but his defense and finishing have gotten worse.
Staal was able to pot the overtime winner in his very first game but has struggled since. That goal has been his only point in 6 games, he is -7 in those games, and his xGF% has been consistently below 30% at 5v5. It’s a short sample size on a struggling Montreal team. Hopefully, for their sake, Staal can improve.
I would say that two picks for what is now a fourth-line center is really good value for Staal. With Adams having to retain 50% of Staal's salary, it was nice that Montreal rewarded us with another pick in a 5th. Stockpiling picks as the deadline is a much different approach than what the Sabres are used to, so we’ll see what Kevyn has in store.
FLA Receives: Brandon Montour
BUF Receives: 2021 3rd Round Pick
The second deal that Kevyn Adams completed was with Brandon Montour. Thought to possibly be the partner of the future for Rasmus Dahlin when he was brought to Buffalo back in 2018-19, (at a relatively large cost of prospect Brendan Guhle and a 2019 1st Round Pick) Montour just hasn’t worked out here. Many believed that he was a victim of Randy Carlyle’s offensively stagnant system in Anaheim, but the hope that he would blossom into a true top four defenseman never came to fruition here in Buffalo.
It’s been a rough go-around here for Montour. He's has struggled with pretty much all aspects of his game with his time here. The only positive has been a recent surge in offense with 9 points in his last 13 games here. With Aaron Ekblad being out for the season due to injury, Florida needed a right-handed defenseman to help them through the playoffs. While Montour won’t fill the no. 1 defenseman void that has been left by Ekblad, Florida is a good spot for him to attempt to rekindle the potential that was once there.
While it is disappointing to see what Montour went for this time around as opposed to what he cost when he was first brought in, I’d say that Adams getting a 3rd is pretty fair value. Before Montour had 9 points in his last 13 games his value was probably even lower, so all things considered, I would say that Adams is 2/2.
Boston Receives: Taylor Hall (50% Retained) + Curtis Lazar
Buffalo Receives: Anders Bjork + 2021 2nd Round Pick
Well… that didn’t go as planned.
When Taylor Hall signed with Buffalo back in October nobody could believe it. A former MVP is willing to come to Buffalo? Jack Eichel is getting a star winger? Everyone thought that this was the Sabres equivalent of the Stefon Diggs trade. Finally, Sabres fans were going to see a dynamic duo take over the league akin to McDavid & Draisaitl, Matthews & Marner, MacKinnon & Rantanen, etc. To say that didn’t happen would be the understatement of the decade. Along with the rest of the team, while Ralph Krueger was head coach, Taylor Hall regressed and was not able to produce up to the level of his contract.
Hall has done everything offensively here except score. He’s consistently made good offensive contributions, but he’s just had an unbelievably unlucky season. Saying that he did nothing here would be misleading. Yes, his scoring was very underwhelming, but on any other team Hall is a thriving top-six winger.
It’s sad to see what happened this season. I really thought that Hall was the missing piece that would be key to the turnaround of the franchise. From the COVID pause, to the countless injuries (especially Eichel), and poor coaching, it’s clear that Hall in Buffalo was just never meant to be. I wished that Hall would’ve gotten a normal season in Buffalo, but alas, he is headed to Boston.
With Jake DeBrusk struggling at points this year, the Bruins have acquired a player that can slide in as Krejci’s definitive left-winger, and truly solidify a top-6 that has been very reliant on their first line. While Hall has been struggling to find the back of the net, he has never really been a goal scorer in his career, so Bruins fans shouldn't worry. Also, what is something to point out is that during Hall’s tenure with the Oilers he shot 10.6% over 6 years, with the Devils he shot 10.3% over 4 years, and shot 8.1% in his only season with the Coyotes. However, with the Sabres, he shot… 2.3%. He’s due for a surge of goalscoring, so expect him to find the back of the net more often for the rest of the season.
During his two seasons here, Curtis Lazar was always one of the hardest working guys on the ice and seemed to always have a smile on his face. He just looked like a guy that was never bothered by the struggles of the team, which was very refreshing for the franchise.
His defensive game was great for the two years he was here. Not to mention he was a great penalty killer. He was an awesome bottom-six option for a team that has struggled to find those types of players over the past decade. He’ll be a great defensive addition and will attempt to rejuvenate an offensively stagnant Bruins’ bottom-six. I wish Lazar all the best in Boston. He was a class act and an extremely likable player.
Now for the quite controversial return. When Sabres fans heard what the return was going to be, they were not exactly pleased. Anders Bjork drew comparisons to Curtis Lazar with many seeing those two as a one-for-one swap, which means that Hall essentially went for a 2nd round pick only. They see this move as proof that Adams is in over his head, and that a competent GM would have been able to get more for Hall.
But I’m here to tell you why Adams did the absolute best he could. The very day before Hall was traded, the only asset that the Bruins were willing to give up was a 3rd round pick. The offer only changed because the Bruins were routed by the Capitals 8-1 the night of the trade, causing Don Sweeney to become a bit more desperate. Nonetheless, what killed Hall’s value the most was Hall himself. His No Move Clause gave him complete control of where he wanted to go, which led to him reportedly not being interested in heading to other teams such as the Islanders or the Capitals.
Elliotte Frieman reported that the Islanders had a similar deal for Hall to the one they had for Palmieri and Zajac. Pierre LeBrun stated that the Sabres reportedly had a better offer from a Western Conference team but Hall wanted to play for Boston. It’s pretty clear that Hall forced his way onto the Bruins, with the reports that Hall was close to signing with them in the offseason making this even more apparent.
All of this coupled with the disappointing season that Hall has had makes it pretty clear that the Sabres had no leverage in any trade. The fact that Adams was able to get a very solid defensive player with offensive upside in Bjork, and a 2nd rounder makes me satisfied enough. It’s disappointing, but us Sabres fans have to understand the situation that Adams was placed in and accept that there was no scenario where the Sabres came out on top.
Now for Bjork himself. To summarize his player profile best, Bjork is a very good defensive player who has struggled to find consistent offense in a limited role with the Bruins.
For those that have heard comparisons to Lazar, they aren't way off base. Put in the same role for different teams, Bjork and Lazar do not share many differences, with both being very good defensive forwards. However, the key phrase there is “put in the same role."
In college, Bjork was quite the offensive threat. In 3 seasons at the University of Notre Dame, Bjork had 109 points in 115 games. He was not drafted to be a bottom-six option throughout his whole career. We’ve already seen this potential, as he has three points in his first two games as a Sabre. He at least deserves more ice time that could bring out his offensive capabilities. If he doesn’t take an offensive step forward, then the Sabres have a dependable defensive forward that is signed for the next couple of years at a cheap cost.
Final Thoughts
All things considered, I think that Adams had a fine deadline. While there have been some questions about the overall quality of the Sabres’ scouting department, along with the consensus on the draft as a whole being weaker this year, it will be interesting to see what Adams does with the picks he’s been able to stockpile. Whether he intends to keep them or to flip them for more assets remains to be seen, but it is a different approach to what Sabres fans are used to. Hopefully, this deadline was finally the start of a true turnaround for the franchise.
Before I sign off, there is one more important thing that needs to be discussed. Jack Eichel. No, not about his injury or the absolutely ridiculous rumors ( If you don't know about them, check Twitter). It’s about his future with the Sabres. Not whether or not he wants to stay, but about the upcoming decision that Adams needs to make.
One thing that I hope we have all learned from the Hall trade is the danger of a No Move Clause. The moment that Eichel gets to choose where he wants to be traded, the Sabres are doomed to lose any trade with him involved. That is why it is so important that Adams decides what the future path is for the team before next season. Eichel’s No Move Clause kicks in on July 1, 2022, so if Eichel is going to be traded it needs to be done this summer (or before next July). I will point out that now that Eichel is done for the season the chances of this happening are lower than before, but my point remains. Whether it be the New York Rangers or the Los Angeles Kings or some other dark horse team, a suitor for Eichel is going to have to pay a lot more on July 1, 2021, compared to July 1, 2022. I just hope that Adams is weighing all of his options. Every Sabres fan wants to keep Eichel and contend with him but if Adams has a really bad feeling about Eichel’s commitment for the future then he needs to act fast.
Until then, let’s hope he has a safe recovery. Go Sabres.
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