Could Taylor Hall be Bruin’ a Cup Run? NHL Trade Deadline Review

Welcome back to the hockey section of CloudZeroSports where today we’re going to be looking at some of the biggest moves that happened at the trade deadline. In this article, I would like to cover the biggest moves such as Kyle Palmieri to the Islanders, Taylor Hall to the Bruins, and Anthony Mantha to the Capitals.

1. Kyle Palmieri to the New York Islanders – As I finished writing the preview to the NHL trade deadline and it was being edited this move had actually happened. As a Devils fan, I was shocked when I heard that Travis Zajac was included in the deal and what our return was. However, I am happy that Zajac and Palmieri are joining a team that looks to be destined for the playoffs. For the Islanders, this adds two proven goal scorers and experienced veterans who will hopefully take them deep into this year’s playoffs. The Islanders gave up two draft picks and two most likely lifetime AHL players, who might crack a professional roster if there are enough injuries. I believe the Islanders won this trade, however, I am happy the Devils acquired another first-round pick for this upcoming draft.
   • NJD receives –
     1. 2021 1st round pick (NYI)
     2. 2022 4th round conditional pick (NYI) – Becomes a 3rd round pick in 2022 or 2023 (NYI chooses) if the Islanders advance to the 2020-2021 Stanley Cup Final.
     3. AJ Greer – Who is a 24 year old left-wing. Greer has had solid AHL seasons in the past and has played in 37 NHL games for the Avalanche. Greer has 6 total career points in the NHL.
     4. Mason Jobst- A 27-year-old left wing/center and has yet to play in the NHL and probably won’t before he retires.
   • NYI Receives –
     1. Kyle Palmieri (50% contract retained by NJD) – Has 34 games played and 17 points so far (8 goals and 9 assists). Palmieri is a proven goal scorer with 184 goals in 598 career games so he will definitely be useful to an Islanders team who needed Anders Lee’s spot filled.
     2. Travis Zajac (50% contract retained by NJD) – Has 33 games played with 18 points (7 goals and 11 assists). Zajac has hit his 1,000th career game during the 2020-2021 season. This means he will bring a strong veteran presence along with depth scoring and playmaking for the Islanders.

2. Taylor Hall to the Bruins – Another move I had happening in the trade deadline preview article and probably the most expected move on deadline day. With the Sabres dead last in the east and Hall becoming a pending UFA, everyone expected the former Hart Trophy winner to get moved. The only two questions being asked at the time were to where and for what. Finally, we have the answer. I think the Bruins won this trade mainly because they got Curtis Lazar and gave up a 2nd round pick instead of a first.

• Sabres receives –
  1. Anders Bjork – Who is a 24-year-old left-winger/right-winger. Bjork has 5 points (2 goals and 3 assists) in 30 games played this season. This move will be good for Bjork assuming Buffalo will look to rebuild and give Bjork some good 1st or 2nd line minutes. Buffalo will also have Bjork signed through the 2022-2023 season with only a cap hit of $1.60 million and will be an RFA at the end of his contract.
  2. 2021 2nd round pick (BOS) – Honestly Buffalo needed to get a first-round pick in this draft for Hall and I am shocked they couldn’t.
• Bruins receives –
  1. Taylor Hall (50% contract retained by BUF) – Hall was the centerpiece of the trade. However, we are going to enter the “if” phase now, meaning, “if” Taylor Hall can get out of his current form of 2 goals in 37 games played and return to the Hart Trophy winner form, then this trade will be worth it. If Hall keeps up his current form and cannot provide the Bruins with the goal-scoring help they need then the 2nd round pick will be worth it for Buffalo. Hall is 29 years old and becomes an UFA at the end of the season.
  2. Curtis Lazar – Is a 26-year-old center/right wing who will be signed to the Bruins for an $800 thousand contract and cap hit through the 2022 season. This is a great addition for the Bruins in my opinion because this could pay off for them in the long run too while adding depth to their forwards. Lazar has 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) in 33 games.

3. Anthony Mantha to the Capitals – This trade took me completely by surprise, especially considering it came in after the deadline. Mantha is a right wing/left wing who is now signed to the Capitals through the 2023-2024 season. The Capitals paid an arm and a leg to get Mantha, but I still like this deal for the Capitals because Mantha is 26 years old and will hopefully be able to fill Alexander Ovechkin’s spot when he eventually retires. As for Detroit’s return, a 1st round pick this year, a second-round pick next year, Richard Pánik, and Jakub Vrána. Detroit will be looking to rebuild for what feels like the 5th year in a row (or 500th for Detroit fans probably). If Detroit uses the picks that they received well and Vrána pans out for them I would say they won this trade.

• Washington receives –
  1. Anthony Mantha – As I mentioned earlier, Mantha is a 26-year-old winger who is signed through the 23-24 season. Mantha is a very good player especially considering he played in Detroit with little support for most of his career. He has 196 points (96 goals and 100 assists) in only 303 games played. I am writing this article after his debut with Washington where he recorded a goal and an assist in a 6-1 win over Philadelphia. Mantha will most likely be on Washington’s second line with Backstrom and Oshie, which may now be the best second line in the league.
• Detroit receives –
  1. 2021 1st round pick (WSH)
  2. 2022 2nd round pick (WSH)
  3. Richard Pánik – Is a 30 year old left-wing/right-wing and is signed through the 2022-2023 season. Pánik has put up solid numbers in the past, but has an underwhelming 9 points (3 goals and 6 assists) in 36 games played so far this season.
  4. Jakub Vrána – I think this is a huge return for Detroit and a heartache for Washington fans. Vrána was a former 1st round pick for the Capitals and has put up amazing numbers since the 2018-2019 season. In 2018-19 he put up 47 points in 82 games followed by 52 points in 69 games during the 2019-20 season. Vrána is only 25 years old who becomes an RFA at the end of this season. Vrána could definitely be a piece for Detroit to start rebuilding around and the 1st round pick should help them do just that.