The Boston Bruins have traded winger Anders Bjork and a second-round draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres for Taylor Hall and Curtis Lazar.

The Bruins get: A former Hart Trophy winner who theoretically is still in his prime. Since that big MVP season that saw him get 93 points in 76 games, Hall started 2018-19 with an equally fantastic 37 points in 33 contests. But then things went sideways. A knee injury wiped out the rest of that season. Upon his return he has been a shadow of his former self. More on this below. The Bruins also land a versatile forward in Lazar, who has found his niche as a solid depth player and secondary penalty killer. Still only 26, he has room to grow yet.

The Sabres get: a 24-year-old winger who is somewhat injury prone, but may still have second-line upside (albeit starting to seem unlikely). And a second-rounder was all they could get for Hall, who they were going to lose as a UFA this summer.

Fantasy Players Impacted: Hall returned from his knee injury in 2019 and tallied 25 points in 30 games, though just six goals. But that can be forgiven because he's returning from a serious injury. However, a trade to Arizona saw his numbers slip further (27 in 35). This year, on yet another team, he was put on a line with one of the most talented centers in the game in Jack Eichel. The result was just two goals and 17 points in 37 contests. To break this all down more clearly…

Leading up to knee injury: 50 goals and 130 points in 109 games

Since returning from knee injury: 18 goals and 79 points in 102 games

It's the goal scoring that is most concerning, but a close second is the fact that playing with Eichel saw him tally just two goals. Two!

The Bruins are not going to break up the Perfection Line, so Hall will line up with David Krejci and Craig Smith on the second line. Smith has earned that spot thanks to 11 points in his last eight games. This bumps Nick Ritchie down the depth chart and off the power play. Having that top line take all the defensive focus, this should free up Hall to do this thing. But can he at least be a 70-point player again? In that situation, as the fourth forward on the top PP unit, yes.

Anders Bjork will be a top sixer in Buffalo. But is that saying much? All joking aside, he may get a chance to play alongside Sam Reinhart, and given the other options on the team it should be a real chance. As in more than 10 games. Failing that, it will be with Casey Mittelstadt. This is a situation where a change of scenery could really help.

Curtis Lazar looks to be a solid replacement for Sean Kuraly, who will be a UFA after this season.

Fantasy Players This Helps, In Order:

1. Anders Bjork
2. Taylor Hall

Fantasy Players This Hurts, In Order:

1. Nick Ritchie
2. Jeff Skinner