What NHL Exec Thinks Cost Will Be For Taylor Hall Trade With Sabres

With Kyle Palmieri off the market, all eyes are turning to Taylor Hall.

The Buffalo Sabres, miles out of the playoff race, are all but certain to move the winger, who is a pending unrestricted free agent.

Hall has had a down season, but is still a former Hart Trophy winner and first overall pick, and he’s been playing on a ghastly Buffalo team.

But with more sellers than buyers at this NHL trade deadline, one NHL executive indicated to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun that the Sabres might not even be able to get a first-round pick for the winger.

“One team executive I spoke with Thursday said if (Taylor) Hall was still sitting there Monday he could see a team get him for a second- or third-round pick plus send Buffalo a contract to make it work,” LeBrun wrote. “No question the Sabres want to do better than that. But remember that Hall has a full no-move, he gets to say yes or no to any deal.”

It’s worth noting the New Jersey Devils did get a first-round pick in the Palmieri deal, but it also helped they sent the New York Islanders Travis Zajac and only got low-level prospects in return.

As for Hall, who is being healthy scratched for injury protection in advance of the deadline, he has two goals and 17 assists in 37 games this season.