Hall Signs With Buffalo, Sabres’ 2021 Stanley Cup Odds Improve to +5000

• Taylor Hall has signed a one-year deal worth $8M with the Buffalo Sabres in free agency
• The  Sabres’ 2021 Stanley Cup odds have moved from +6000 to +50000 as a result
• Does signing Taylor Hall make Buffalo a good longshot Stanley Cup bet? See odds and analysis here

Former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall has signed with the Buffalo Sabres in free agency. It’s a one year deal worth $8 million. Hall will be joining a Sabres squad that has missed the playoffs for nine straight seasons. With Hall getting the potential chance to play with superstar Jack Eichel, the Sabres have seen their 2021 Stanley Cup odds improve from +6000 to +5000.

Does landing Hall in free agency make the Sabres a good value play to win the 2021 Stanley Cup?

2021 Stanley Cup Odds

Odds taken  Oct. 11 at FanDuel.

Hall Is A Proven Point Producer 

Hall has been an elite point-producer throughout his NHL career, racking up 218 goals and 563 points in 627 career games. He had his breakout year in 2017-18 with the Devils, recording 39 goals and 93 points in 76 games to earn the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player.

Hall’s play has dropped off over the last two seasons, partly due to a knee injury that limited him to just 33 games in 2018-19. After being traded from the Devils to the Coyotes in December 2019, Hall somewhat got his game back on track with 10 goals and 25 points in 33 games with his new club. He also added two goals and six points in nine playoff games.

While we may not see Hall come close to producing another 100-point season again, he remains a top-tier scorer who is still around the prime of his career. The former first overall draft pick has the speed and pure offensive skill to make a major impact in Buffalo’s top six.

Eichel-Hall Could Form A Lethal Duo

Hall will get the chance to play with one of the most exciting young players in hockey in center Jack Eichel. The Sabres’ captain is coming off his best NHL season to date, recording 36 goals and 78 points in 68 games in 2019-20. While Eichel trade rumors have run rampant, the young superstar has said that he wishes to remain a Sabres despite also vocalizing his frustration with the team’s losing ways.

The Hall x Eichel combo will be one to watch. 👀#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/H3Svp7CT2w

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) October 11, 2020

Adding Hall gives Buffalo an exciting forward group that also includes Victor Olofsson, Jeff Skinner, and Sam Reinhart, in addition to newcomers Eric Staal, Tobias Rieder, and Cody Eakin. They have offensive talent on this team, but they couldn’t get it to gel in 2019-20, finishing with just 2.80 goals per game — 21st in the NHL.

Hall is also going to make a major impact on a mediocre Buffalo power play that finished at 18.2% efficiency in 2019-20 — 20th in the NHL. Buffalo has one of the best young power-play quarterbacks in the game in Rasmus Dahlin, who has racked up just short of 40 points with the man advantage in his first two seasons.

Hall put up 18 power-play points  in 2019-20 and racked up a whopping 37 points with the man advantage during his Hart Trophy campaign. A first power-play unit featuring Eichel, Hall, and Dahlin could be one of the league’s best.

Verdict on Sabres’ Cup Chances 

Hall appears to be betting on himself with this new deal. He took a short-term deal on a potential playoff team to prove he can help a team win.

He’s only made it to the playoff twice in his 10-year NHL career and clearly wants to an opportunity to make a serious run at the Stanley Cup. There’s a high ceiling for this team when you consider the possibility of Eichel and Hall on a line together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7GgoZzRPQ4

The  Sabres only moving to +5000 in the cup odds should tell you oddsmakers still aren’t sold on this team. It’s hard to argue with their assessment when you consider the Sabres haven’t made any changes to their defense group that surrendered the 10th most amount of goals last season (3.12 GA/GP). The current goaltending tandem of  Linus Ullmark and Carter Hutton also leaves lots to be desired.

There could be value betting on Buffalo to end their playoff drought following the Hall signing, but they are several moves away from even being considered anywhere close to a Stanley Cup contender.

Hall could sign long-term if he re-discovers his game, but he could also be moved for assets at the trade deadline if Buffalo struggles for a 10th consecutive season. Tread very lightly.