After shocking the hockey world by signing in Buffalo on a one-year, $8 million contract last October, Taylor Hall is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Based on how things are playing out in Buffalo, it seems likely that Hall will be traded. A big extension does not appear to be overly likely at this point. Currently at the bottom of the strongest division in the NHL, the Buffalo Sabres are nowhere near a playoff spot and they probably don’t want to let him walk for nothing.
Mired in a playoff drought since 2011, the Sabres have already gone through a brutal rebuild and they likely want players who can help them sooner rather than later as a result. They’re probably not solely focused on acquiring draft picks to add players who can help them three or four years from now. They want to improve their roster for next season in order to give Jack Eichel the best chance possible at making the playoffs.
That could mean the Leafs are perfect trading partners for the Sabres. They aren’t going to play the Leafs this year, but they could end up back in their division (or conference) next year. In short, they would be happy to make the Leafs better this season, if it means taking something away from them in future seasons.
The Sabres are also desperate for help at center behind Eichel, as Eric Staal is both 36 years old and a pending free agent. Let’s just say that the upcoming free-agent class is not loaded with high-end centers that are racing to sign in Buffalo.
Frank Seravalli of TSN spoke about Hall’s availability here:
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The key quotes in this video include:
“At this point, I don’t see a way that they don’t trade him at the deadline.”
“They may have to eat half of his $8 million salary in order to make it work.”
“I don’t think that a lot of teams around the league are thinking that Taylor Hall suddenly woke up, because of the situation in Buffalo, and forgot how to play hockey.”
Exploring a Hall for Kerfoot Trade
Photo: Canadian Press
Alex Kerfoot would be a great fit in Buffalo for three reasons:
The Leafs will need to send a contract back the other way if they acquired Hall. Kerfoot is pretty much the only player on the roster who would make any sense whatsoever.
Kerfoot’s deal was front-loaded, so he only makes $2.7 million per year in actual salary after this season.
He’s able to move to the wing if needed, so they have some flexibility if they want to play Dylan Cozens and someone else up the middle instead.
Kerfoot is under contract through the 2022-23 season and could help the Sabres immediately. They don’t have to wait for him to develop.
My guess is that Kerfoot carries a similar trade value as Andreas Johnsson, for whom the Leafs were offered a second-round pick before they ended up acquiring Joey Anderson instead. Knowing the Leafs would need the Sabres to retain close to 50% of Hall’s contract to make this deal work, Kerfoot’s trade value alone is probably not quite enough to get that done. However, the Leafs could certainly add a little bit extra to this trade to get it over the finish line.
Taylor Hall is a damn good player — there’s no doubt about that. He won the Hart Trophy, for crying out loud, and was the league’s MVP more recently than Connor McDavid. Draisaitl won last season, Kucherov won the season before, and Hall won in 2018 — this is not exactly ancient history. Hall is 29 and boasts 575 points in 647 career games.
I don’t want to hear the “he’s not a winner” garbage. He’s put up points during his limited NHL playoff sample. He won the Memorial Cup twice in junior. He’s won five gold medals for Canada. Zach Bogosian entered the league two years before him and had ZERO career playoff games before his Cup run with the Lightning last season. It’s not Hall’s fault that the Oilers completely wasted the first six years of his career before trading him to another below-average team. He also single-handedly got the 2017-18 New Jersey Devils into the playoffs.
Not to belabour the point, but have you seen the rosters of those Oilers teams? Check these out (I’ll wait):
Hockey is a team sport. If you want to yell that individual players are “not winners,” go watch tennis or golf. Everyone said Phil Kessel wasn’t a winner, and then guess what? He won. Everyone said Alexander Ovechkin wasn’t a winner, and then guess what? He won.
As Leafs fans know better than anyone, it’s hard to win a playoff round. It’s close to impossible to win a playoff round when you play on the teams that Hall has played on.
In his final season in Edmonton, the Oilers outscored their opponents 57 to 53 when Hall was on the ice at 5-on-5. When Hall wasn’t on the ice, they were outscored 76 to 115. The previous season, the Oilers outscored their opponents 36 to 34 when Hall was on the ice at 5-on-5. When Hall wasn’t on the ice, they were outscored 95 to 163 (!).
Hall then got traded to New Jersey, where the team outscored their opponents 38 to 35 when Hall was on the ice at 5-on-5 in his first season with the Devils. When Hall wasn’t on the ice, they were outscored 76 to 113.
I’m going to go ahead and guess that maybe Taylor Hall was not the problem.
How Good Is Taylor Hall?
Photo Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports
Pretty damn good.
Since entering the league in 2010, his 5-on-5 point-per-minute production is pretty much identical to John Tavares’. He ranks 21st in this category out of 266 forwards with 5000+ minutes at 5-on-5 over that time, ahead of players like Jonathan Huberdeau, Filip Forsberg, Tyler Seguin, Mark Scheifele, Alex Ovechkin, Claude Giroux, and Jack Eichel. Since leaving the Oilers, his 5-on-5 expected goals for percentage is 53.5%, which is extremely impressive, and just ahead of Matthews and Marner.
Since entering the league, he sits just behind Tavares in Evolving Hockey‘s goals above replacement and is actually ahead of him on a per-game basis. He’s a fair bit behind Tavares in terms of expected goals above replacement, but he is still comparable to great players like Gabriel Landeskog and Jakub Voracek. Yes, he only has two goals through 21 games this year, but his 1.9% shooting percentage clearly isn’t sustainable.
He’s an elite transition player and an elite takeaway specialist. He’s consistently graded out well by play-driving stats such as Evolving Hockey‘s RAPM. He’s played at a 7-point pace per 82 games over his career. He’s a first-line calibre, star forward who would have a chance to make Team Canada’s Olympic Team. Again, he won the Hart Trophy!
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Hall could make the Tavares and Nylander line a force to be reckoned with. Tavares is a complete beast down low in the offensive zone, and pairing him with two of the best transition players in the game would put him in a position to succeed. Opposing top defense pairings would likely matchup against Matthews and Marner, leaving the Hall-Tavares-Nylander line to beat up on weaker competition. There’s a real chance that Hall would be the best player on that line — he’s that good.
Personally, I wouldn’t play Hall on the third line, but even that could be quite fun. As mentioned above, when Hall comes off the ice, his team usually sends AHL calibre forwards out there who proceed to get completely dominated. With the Leafs, Sheldon Keefe could instead throw the Matthews-Marner and Tavares-Nylander duos out there when Hall is on the bench.
All Leafs fans are happy with the team’s current third line. I think Hall would make far more sense in the top-six, but having him drive his own line is always an option. He obviously carries quite a bit of experience with that.
Hall’s Weaknesses
Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images
Taylor Hall carries some pretty significant weaknesses, ones the Leafs will certainly need to be aware of:
1. Boating safety
I take boating safety very seriously. Hall struggles in this area. It’s also worth noting that the city of Toronto is situated on Lake Ontario. Boating can be a terrific team-building activity, but this is a major weakness for Hall.
Failed my boaters licence again. I’m a joke I just want my licence
Travel is a big part of an NHL player’s life. Because of this, fun games are often played to help pass the time. Hall clearly struggles with this game. Again, the Leafs will have to be aware of this.
Eberle & Hall in worst hangman game in history Ebs cant spell “banana” and hall cant figure out 2nd word is “split” Wow http://t.co/ReVHRQD5
The top rentals at the deadline tend to go for a first-round pick, plus another interesting prospect or two. Hall was actually traded as a rental last season, along with prospect Blake Speers, for a first-round pick, a third-round pick, Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley, and Nate Schnarr. As part of the trade, the Devils retained 50% of his $6 million cap hit.
The price for Hall will be lower this time around for four reasons:
He’s one more year removed from his MVP season.
He’s off to a bit of a rough start in Buffalo, as he’s only scored two goals in 21 games thus far (though he has put 54 shots on goal).
The Coyotes paid a little bit extra to acquire him in mid-December last year, so he ended up playing 35 regular-season games in Arizona, even though the pandemic ended up cutting the season short. Hall would be more of a “true rental” this season, especially if he has to quarantine for 14 days.
It’s more of a buyer’s market this year, as some teams are not able to add salary due to their financial situations.
The Sabres would have to retain 50% of Hall’s cap hit in a trade with Toronto, just like the Devils did last season. As mentioned above, they would have to take Kerfoot back as well, but he probably has more value to them than a late first-round pick in a weak draft. In addition to Kerfoot, the Leafs have two young prospects in Filip Hallander and Joey Anderson who could possibly help the Sabres next season.
Kerfoot and Toronto’s 2021 first-round pick is probably enough to get a deal done. In fact, I actually think that’s a better package than what the Devils got for Hall last season. Perhaps the Leafs downgrade the first-round pick to a second-round pick and add in Hallander or Anderson instead. Given where the Sabres are at, I think they will be more interested in players and prospects rather than picks.
It’s also worth noting that Hall can control his own destiny as he possesses a full no-move clause. If he says that he’ll only accept a trade to a few teams, the Sabres don’t have much leverage here. If he says that he’s set on playing for Toronto, the Sabres might even settle for Kerfoot straight up. If he’s completely against going to a Canadian team due to the quarantine process, this deal is off the table completely. Hall has a lot of control here, but I’m willing to bet that he would jump at the opportunity to play in Toronto.
If other star forwards like Filip Forsberg, Johnny Gaudreau, or Tomas Hertl are available, the Leafs should certainly inquire about them. These players come with an extra year of control, and it’s worth paying a little bit extra for them as a result, even after considering the expansion draft implications. However, Hall is the most likely of this group to be moved and will cost the least. It’s easier to get a team to retain 50% of a player’s contract for half a season rather than next year as well.
Trading Kerfoot would hurt Toronto’s depth up the middle. They would be counting on Pierre Engvall to be their third-line center, and if he starts to struggle, the Leafs would have to find another alternative.
One option would be to move Travis Boyd up in the lineup and make Jason Spezza or Adam Brooks the fourth-line center. Another option could be to play Hall with Tavares, and make Nylander your third-line center. Joe Thornton carries plenty of experience at center as well and could always play there if needed. Alex Galchenyuk also has some experience at center, although that might be a bit of a long-shot at this point. Ultimately, I like the Hyman-Engvall-Mikheyev line so far and I’d be okay with taking the risk if it meant acquiring a player of Hall’s calibre.
Riley Sheahan could also be added to this deal to provide the Leafs with some extra depth. The 29-year-old isn’t much of a scorer, but he’s consistently posted strong defensive results by Evolving Hockey‘s RAPM over the years. He’ll be a free agent after this season, and given that he carries a $700k cap hit, the Leafs could simply put him on the taxi squad if he clears waivers.
Alternatively, the Leafs could always look to make another trade for a bottom-six center.
Final Thoughts
PHOTO BY IAN KUCERAK /Postmedia
We all know by now that the Leafs are looking to add a forward at the deadline, and they are probably willing to give up significant futures to do it. This is the best Leafs team that we’ve seen in years. They’re looking for a player who can make them an even bigger favourite to win the Canadian division come playoff time.
I like Mikael Granlund and I’m certainly interested in acquiring him, but Hall is simply a different calibre of player. The Leafs look great defensively, while their first line has been amazing up front. Pairing Hall on a line with Tavares and Nylander would make them a force to be reckoned with.
I don’t want to trade Nick Robertson, Rasmus Sandin, Rodion Amirov, or Timothy Liljegren for a rental. However, I don’t think you’ll have to give them up — it’s not like the Coyotes handed over Victor Soderstrom or Barrett Hayton for Hall last year. If they need to be included, I’d focus my attention elsewhere and talk to the Predators about Forsberg or Granlund. A package of Kerfoot and a first-round pick seems more than fair.
I’m not a big fan of trading for rentals at the deadline unless the team is really damn good. I would have strongly considered trading James van Riemsdyk in his final season in Toronto, rather than letting him walk for nothing, as I didn’t see that Leafs team as a true Cup contender. However, this isn’t the 2017-18 Toronto Maple Leafs. This is a team that just shutout Connor McDavid for three straight games with three different goalies and didn’t miss a beat when Auston Matthews was out of the lineup.
I also don’t want to hear that the Leafs are “good enough.” There’s no such thing. I don’t care if Hall has to miss a handful of games due to the quarantine process. With Taylor Hall inserted into this lineup, this team will have an even better chance to make a deep playoff run.
The Leafs already have three former first overall picks in Auston Matthews, Joe Thornton, and John Tavares. Why not add one more?
It’s time to push the chips in for a serious shot at the Stanley Cup.
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, helping the Baltimore Ravens overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their National Football League winning streak to five games with a 41-31 victory Monday night over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who lost their top two receivers to injuries.
The two-time NFL MVP improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He’s 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Mike Evans’ career.
Evans departed with a hamstring injury after Baker Mayfield tried to connect with him in the end zone again, and late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leading Bucs receiver Chris Godwin was carted off the field with a left ankle injury. ESPN declined to show replays of Godwin’s injury, which appeared to be severe.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of nine and four yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
The Ravens (5-2) rebounded from a slow start on defence, with cornerback Marlon Humphrey turning the game around with a pair of second-quarter interceptions — one of them in the Baltimore end zone. Jackson led a four-play, 80-yard TD drive after the first pick, and the second interception set up Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Elsewhere in the NFL:
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CARDINALS 17 CHARGERS 15
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Kyler Murray ran for a 44-yard touchdown and led the Cardinals on a drive that set up Chad Ryland’s 32-yard field goal as time expired, and Arizona rallied for a win over Los Angeles.
Cameron Dicker kicked his fifth field goal of the night — this one from 40 yards — to give the Chargers a 15-14 lead with 1:54 left. But the Cardinals (3-4) quickly moved into field goal range, aided by an unnecessary roughness call on Cam Hart that cost Los Angeles (3-3) 15 yards.
Arizona followed that with a bruising 33-yard run by James Conner, who finished with 101 yards on the ground. That eventually set up Ryland’s short field goal and a Cardinals celebration.
It was a frustrating night for the Chargers’ offence, which gained 395 yards but couldn’t find the end zone. Justin Herbert completed 27 of 39 passes for 349 yards.
Dicker booted field goals of 59, 50, 28, 47 and 40 yards, the first of which tied a franchise record for distance.
Murray ran for a spectacular touchdown early in the fourth quarter, rolling to his left before turning on the jets, beating safety Junior Colston to the sideline and then coasting into the end zone for a 14-9 lead.
It was Murray’s second long touchdown run in three weeks after he scored on a 50-yard sprint against San Francisco. It was also Murray’s 20th career game with a touchdown pass and run.
Murray completed 14 of 26 passes for 145 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Whitecaps have been here before — literally and figuratively.
With the season hanging in the balance, the ‘Caps were dealt a blow last week when the club learned it wouldn’t be able to play a post-season wild-card game in its home stadium, B.C. Place, due to a scheduling conflict.
The Whitecaps ceded home field advantage to their regional rival, the Portland Timbers. The two clubs will battle for the final playoff spot in Major League Soccer’s Western Conference in Oregon on Wednesday.
The winner will face No. 1-seed Los Angeles FC in a best-of-three first-round series, starting Sunday.
An unforeseen hurdle like a change of venues is nothing new for the ‘Caps, said defender Ranko Veselinovic, who was part of the team that was forced to relocate first to Portland, then Utah during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels that always something happens for us, but it is what it is. So far, we’ve managed to always find solutions for those situations,” said the Serbian centre back. “But I hope this team can find it one more time, because we need it this time. And it will be a really nice feeling in those circumstances to go in, win and go face L.A. in the next round.”
Vancouver (13-13-8) heads into the post-season winless in its last seven MLS games and with losses in four straight after dropping a 2-1 road decision to Real Salt Lake on Saturday.
The skid followed a run that saw the club go 4-1-3 across all competitions between late August and late September.
There’s just one way to return to that level, said Whitecaps head coach Vanni Sartini.
“The work is the only way to do it. Try to put the work in and try to put the team in a way that they’re going to regain the form and the way that they were in the past,” he said.
Despite the final score, Sartini has seen positives in the way his team played in its two most recent losses.
“I think already we turned the corner,” he said. “And we start from there to build and build and build.”
Facing challenges together can help a team build, whether it’s a winless skid or an unexpected hurdle, said Vancouver’s captain Ryan Gauld.
“When you’re going through adversity, that’s when people start to raise their voice a little bit. You get good when the problems arise, you get a lot of people coming together to make sure we get out of it,” said the Scottish attacking midfielder.
“And we’ve had a tough time the last few games, but everyone’s aware of the fact that we’re a much better team than we’ve shown, and we need to find a way to get back to doing what we’re good at.”
The ‘Caps face a familiar foe in the Timbers (12-11-11).
The two sides have already met three times this season, with each coming out of the series with a win, a loss and a draw.
Portland has also struggled in recent weeks and are winless in their last five MLS outings (0-1-4).
The Timbers boast one of the league’s top offensive units, though, with threats such as Evander. The Brazilian midfielder notched 15 goals and 19 assists during the regular season.
To earn a win on Wednesday, the Whitecaps must be solid defensively, Gauld said.
“They must be one of the best attacks in the league. They have a lot of good players, and they can hurt you if you switch off,” he said. “So just being concentrated from the first whistle, and just being hard to beat, being stuffy. Just being on it for the full 90 minutes.”
A victory in the wild-card match would guarantee Vancouver at least one home playoff game, a factor that Sartini said would be a big reward for his group.
The entire team relished the experience of playing post-season soccer in front of more than 30,000 fans last year, the coach said, and the desire to repeat the feat is high as the club heads to Portland.
“Everyone is happy to be in the playoffs. So we don’t have to be moody to be in the playoff. And we go in there, we’re play one of our rivals. So it’s gonna be a nice game to show up and to play our best game possible.”
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS (13-13-8) AT PORTLAND TIMBERS (12-11-11)
Wednesday, Providence Park
HISTORY BOOKS: This will mark the seventh all-time post-season meeting between the Timbers and ‘Caps, dating back to 1975. The last time the two clubs squared off in a playoff game was during the Western Conference semifinal in 2015. Portland won the two-game aggregate series and went on to hoist the MLS Cup.
ROAD WARRIORS: The ‘Caps boasted a 7-6-4 record on the road during regular-season play — better than the 6-7-4 showing they posted at B.C. Place.
POST-SEASON PARTY: Wednesday will mark the first time the Timbers have hosted a post-season game since 2021.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2024.
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Scotland conceived rugby sevens in the 1880s yet it will not feature in the scaled-back 2026 Commonwealth Games hosted by Glasgow.
Other sports that have also been dropped include field hockey, triathlon, badminton, Twenty20 cricket, squash, and diving.
The Games will have a 10-sport program in four venues. Athletics and swimming are compulsory while there will also be track cycling, gymnastics, netball, weightlifting, boxing, judo, bowls and 3×3 basketball.
There will also be integrated para events in six of those sports: Athletics, swimming, track cycling, weightlifting, bowls and basketball.
The Games will take place from July 23-Aug. 2 after Glasgow stepped in when the Australian state of Victoria withdrew last year because of rising costs.
It was not easy to decide which sports to include, Commonwealth Games Scotland chairman Ian Reid told the BBC on Tuesday.
“I think everybody recognises that these events need to be more affordable, lighter and we would have loved to have all of our sports and all of our athletes competing but unfortunately it’s just not deliverable or affordable for this time frame,” Reid said.
Athletes and support staff will be housed in hotels. Around 3,000 athletes are expected to compete from up to 74 Commonwealth nations and territories representing a combined total of 2.5 billion people, a third of the world’s entire population.
More than 500,000 tickets made available for spectators.
The Commonwealth Games Federation chief executive Katie Sadleir said: “The 2026 Games will be a bridge to the Commonwealth Games of tomorrow, an exciting first step in our journey to reset and redefine the Games as a truly collaborative, flexible and sustainable model for the future that minimises costs, reduces the environmental footprint, and enhances social impact. In doing so, increasing the scope of countries capable of hosting.”
Glasgow hosted the event in 2014 at a cost of more than 540 million pounds.
