On the first day of 2021, Day One on the new job in the new city could not have been a better experience for Taylor Hall. The 2018 NHL MVP was gleeful in his assessment of his high-skill, high-pace, disciplined new Sabres teammates. Hall also was happy to be reunited with his former coaches from earlier in his career with the Edmonton Oilers.
On New Years Day, Hall was able to witness the some of the parts of the Buffalo Sabres and he was not disappointed. The only negative about the day was that his center and fellow NHL ALL Star Jack Eichel was forced to sit out the practice due to an upper body injury. Not to worry, Taylor. Jack will be back tomorrow or on Monday.
The 2021 Buffalo Sabres stormed the ice on Friday morning. It was their first time on the ice together as a unit since March 9, 2020 when Eichel and Associates defeated the Washington Capitals on home ice. Two days later, the COVID-19 pandemic would cause the NHL to lock the doors and turn out the lights on all 31 franchises. All was not quiet on New Year’s Day when the Sabres went back to work with their first official training camp practice.
After the one hour and fifteen minutes high pace skate, Hall was asked on his Zoom press availability to give his first impression of his new teammates.
D Duos:
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) January 1, 2021
McCabe-Ristolainen
Dahlin-Montour
Miller-Jokiharju
* Forward prospect Arttu Ruotsalainen also participating today
Hall said he arrived in Buffalo one week ago on Christmas Day and he was able to get a couple of power skates in before hitting the ice for the first training camp skate on Friday morning. Hall said it was finally good to see firsthand all of the high-end skill and speed that Ralph Krueger’s Sabres possess.
Hall in 👊@hallsy09 | @BCBSWNY pic.twitter.com/ueM1Fba5Nk
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 1, 2021
Hall said he is at a decided advantage over most players who are playing for new teams this season in that he has a long-standing relationship with Krueger and Steve Smith from their days that they spent together in Edmonton. That put a smile on his face. Hall was effusive in his praise of all world defenseman and fellow first overall draft choice Rasmus Dahlin . Hall marveled at the grace and power with which Dahlin skated through all three zone on the 200 by 85-foot rink. Hall said that he wondered if it was a prerequisite for high skill, elite Swedish defenseman to skate as well as Dahlin skates. Hall said his eyes were automatically trained on Olofsson’s bomb of a shot and his excellent skating.
"I knew that coming in, that it was a team that I think is poised to take a step, a team that has some really good options offensively," Hall said. "I think on the back end as well, you see Rasmus (Dahlin), the player that he is after just two years in the league. I think just the way Ralph wants us to play, with pace, offensively, a team that really attacks and when we don't have the puck, obviously, a team that needs to get the puck back as quickly as possible and play to our strengths. That's a big reason why I wanted to come here was I saw that. I saw that building and I saw that firsthand today."
Hall likened the strategies and methods of the 2021 with the Ralph Krueger vintage Edmonton Oilers teams.
For Hall, all things old are new again.
"It's like we stepped right back into it today on the ice when we spoke a few times," Krueger said. "He is just so mature now in his presence off the ice. I think winning the MVP a couple of years ago has put him in an extremely confident position and he just oozes confidence when he's in the room or when he's on the ice and the way he conducts himself now, even in the interaction about certain things."
Krueger had high praise for his star pupil. Krueger said he has seen a growth in Hall’s leadership and confidence levels ever since he won the NHL MVP in in 2018.
"The leader in him has taken on a whole new level and meaning now. Those are add-ons. I always loved the competitiveness of Taylor Hall, the hunger to want to win and doing whatever the team needs to be successful has always been in his DNA. Now he has added a lot of bonuses, especially off the ice. I'm quite excited what he's going to bring us."
Thanks, Sabres.com
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Welcome to Buffa-Flow, Eric Staal
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Jeff Skinner has his swagger back
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Rasmus Dahlin packed on 15 pounds of muscle in the offseason and tipped the scales at 207 lbs. on Thursday.
Dahlin is going to have a monster season smashing opponents to the ice in the D zone and dominating the puck in the O zone!
@rasmusdahlin00 pic.twitter.com/lT2xWsGHPf
— SabresBuzz (@SabresBuzz) January 1, 2021