Taylor Hall was signed over the offseason to be a part of the solution in Buffalo.

Now, he will sit and likely join his fourth team in 16 months.

Safe to say the Sabres are leaning towards not playing Hall tonight. Precautionary reasons with trade discussions heating up.

— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) April 6, 2021

Tuesday, the Sabres announced that Hall would be a healthy scratch against the New Jersey Devils after interim head coach Don Granato said it was a possibility that the winger could sit ahead of a possible trade.

“It’s part of the business, we all know that,” Granato said. “Taylor knows that. … This game keeps you in the moment and that’s preparation for New Jersey. We had a good meeting on them this morning and our focus points and objectives going into the game.”

Taylor Hall is officially out of the Sabres lineup tonight, per #Sabres PR.

— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) April 6, 2021

The NHL’s trade deadline is on Monday, April 12 at 3 PM.

The Sabres are the worst team in the NHL with an 8-23-6 record. Through 37 games, Buffalo has registered only 22 standings points. During February and March, the Sabres tied the 2003-04 Penguins for the longest losing streak in NHL history, falling in 18 straight games. The Sabres will miss the postseason again for the tenth straight season, tying an NHL record.

Hall was signed to a one-year, $8 million contract in October, but ultimately did not produce. He has two goals and 17 assists in 37 games this season. Hall hasn’t scored since March 4, a goalless streak of 16 games.

“I think you’re ready for anything at this point and time,” Hall said recently. “You gotta be on your heels. You never know what to expect.”

Hall has scored 20 goals or more in six of his 11 seasons in the NHL. He was named MVP in 2018 after scoring 93 points (39g, 54a) in 76 games for the New Jersey Devils.

Screenshot courtesy of Buffalo Sabres/Zoom