Hall of a Trade

 When the Boston Bruins acquired forwards Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar from the Buffalo Sabres on the eve of the NHL trade deadline, many were shocked. The shock did not solely rest in the fact that Hall was finally Boston bound, but the low cost for which he would arrive. A 2nd, a 3rd, and struggling pro Anders Bjork for a former MVP in Hall and an energizer bunny forward in Curtis Lazar is the type of trade any general manager would make without hesitation. Through the first two games post trade deadline this is an absolute win for Don Sweeney. Ultimately it is far too early to give a true verdict on the trade, but the trend and potential impact of Hall already fuels the fire for it being a major W for the black and gold. In his first game with Boston, Hall grew better and better as the game progressed, having his strongest shifts in the later end of the third period. After game number two in the spoked B it is clear Hall can still be a game-changer. His insurance breakaway laser past Islanders goaltender Semyon Varlamov was vintage, MVP recapturing stuff. Hall has fit like a glove alongside David Krejci and the redhot Craig Smith, bringing some much needed solidarity to a 2nd line that has been in flux for the vast majority of the 2020-21 season. As for Lazar he has returned the 4th line, along with Sean Kuraly and Chris Wagner, to a formidable spark plug the likes of which being key in past playoff runs. There has yet to be a full shift of the Kuraly-Lazar-Wagner trio. At the end of the day, Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar for 2 picks and Anders Bjork is absolute larceny and will be the key to a Bruins playoff berth in an absolutely stacked division and any subsequent run towards Lord Stanley’s Cup. Hall may not be an MVP, but he is and still can be an excellent top 6 NHL forward on a winning club.