Rumor: Taylor Hall to blame for the Sabres poor return.

In the late hours of Sunday night veteran forward Taylor Hall was traded to the Boston Bruins by the Buffalo Sabres. The initial reaction to this trade has been to suggest that the Sabres and general manager Kevyn Adams were fleeced by the Bruins and general manager Don Sweeney, but I haven't been convinced. 

Earlier today I published an article in which I outlined 4 potential reasons as to why the return for Buffalo was so poor, and now it would appear that Taylor Hall himself has confirmed some of my speculation. In the article I speculated that Hall's no movement clause would have been a tool that he could use to effectively choose his playoff destination, a move that would have crippled the ability of the Sabres to negotiate for a better deal or even to leverage other teams against each other.

On Monday morning Hall spoke to members of the media about the trade and about coming to Boston and it was during that media availability that he appeared to hint at the fact that he forced the hand of the Buffalo Sabres and their GM.

"The no-move (clause) definitely helped make me a Bruin," admitted Hall on Monday. "This was a team I really wanted to be a part of and really wanted to join."

While it is no doubt great to hear as a Bruins fan, you do after all want a player to be invested in playing in your city, the comments will no doubt draw the ire of fans in the Buffalo market. Hall would even go one step further however by adding that he would like to remain in the Boston market for the foreseeable future, presumably hinting at the fact that he would be willing to sign a contract extension with the Bruins if all goes well.

"I'd love to be a Bruin for a few years. I need to play well. I need to contribute."

Of course it has to be noted here that the Sabres agreed to give Hall his full no movement clause and that he was well within his rights to exercise it in any way he saw fit ahead of the trade deadline. That being said I won't be surprised if his next contract does not contain one given the revelations he has made today.