Fantasy projection for Hall with Sabres

NHL.com has the fantasy hockey spin on left wing Taylor Hall signing with the Buffalo Sabres and projects his statistics for the 2020-21 season. For more fantasy coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy and subscribe for free to the NHL Fantasy on Ice podcast.

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Taylor Hall signed a one-year contract with the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. Hall gains fantasy appeal from this move compared to his value with the Arizona Coyotes last season and should be considered a top 50 overall player again with likely exposure to elite center Jack Eichel.
This was a surprising destination for Hall, who turns 29 on Nov. 14, considering the Sabres have the NHL's longest active Stanley Cup Playoff drought (nine seasons; last appearance: 2011). That said, this is still a great short-term landing spot for Hall because Eichel finished 15th in standard fantasy leagues last season and still has a higher gear with a better supporting cast. Eichel, who turns 24 on Oct. 28, is now worth considering in the late first or early second round of fantasy drafts after the addition of Hall, especially with the former having the insurance policy of strong chemistry with left wings Victor Olofsson and Jeff Skinner in recent seasons.
Hall, who won the Hart Trophy with 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 76 games for the New Jersey Devils in 2017-18, was limited by injury the following season but scored better than a point per game again for the Devils (37 points in 33 games in 2018-19). He started last season with New Jersey but was moved to Arizona before the NHL Trade Deadline. Hall had an underwhelming fantasy season overall based on his high fantasy average draft position (21.8), scoring 52 points (16 goals, 36 assists) in 65 games, including 27 points (10 goals, 17 assists) in 35 games with Arizona after the trade, but is a bounce-back candidate this season.
With the addition of Hall, one of the more valuable fantasy left wings, Olofsson and/or Skinner will lose some fantasy appeal in the short term because there is now no guarantee that either will play with Eichel at even strength this season. Olofsson, 25, was tied for second in goals (20) among rookies last season and especially effective on the first power play (11 power-play goals, tied for 11th in NHL), so he's likely to at least keep his spot in those prime situations.
Right wing Sam Reinhart could also take a further step forward if he rounds out the top line with Eichel and Hall. Reinhart, who turns 25 on Nov. 6, has had at least 50 points in each of the past three seasons, including an NHL career-high 65 points (22 goals, 43 assists) in 2018-19 with frequent exposure to Eichel. But there is a chance Olofsson could switch to right wing to remain on the top line with Eichel, in which case he, rather than Reinhart, would gain value from the addition of Hall.
Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin, who scored the second most points (84 points, 13 goals, 71 assists, in 141 games) by a teenage defenseman in NHL history behind Phil Housley (132 points), gains significant fantasy value from having another elite point producer on the Sabres for him to benefit from. Dahlin, the No. 1 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, is a fixture on Buffalo's PP1, which will now feature Eichel, Hall, Olofsson and Reinhart.
Dahlin should still be viewed behind the best young players at his position (Cale Makar, Quinn Hughes, Miro Heiskanen) but makes up some ground in the rankings for one-year fantasy leagues and is worth consideration among the top 15 fantasy defensemen. In keeper and dynasty formats, the Hall trade does not significantly impact the value of either Eichel or Dahlin because Hall's contract is only for one season and he could be expendable if the Sabres are not in contention.

Hall, who has had an inconsistent NHL career, can still be safely projected for 70-75 points considering he's scored at least 80 points twice. Hall, the No. 1 pick in the 2010 Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, only has one 30-goal season but is likely to exceed that mark if he plays with Eichel, the No. 2 pick in 2015 Draft, for a full season. Hall has familiarity with Sabres coach Ralph Krueger, who coached him with the Oilers in 2012-13. It's also worth noting Skinner scored 40 goals in his contract season of 2018-19 on Eichel's line after being traded to Buffalo.
Hall can score at least 25-30 power-play points this season considering he had 37 PPP with the Devils in 2017-18; the Sabres led the League with the man-advantage as recently as 2016-17 (24.5 percent), Eichel's second season. Hall also has a high shot volume with three seasons of at least 250 SOG (NHL career-high 286 in 2015-16 with Oilers) and will make the Sabres much more attractive in terms of team fantasy value this season.
Projection: 82 games, 31 goals, 42 assists, 73 points, 29 PPP, 245 SOG
Draft range in 12-team fantasy league: Rounds 4 or 5 (picks 37-60)
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