Edmonton Oilers rumors – Will the Oilers right a wrong with Taylor Hall
Anthony Scultore
|
The Edmonton Oilers were unceremoniously bounced out of the qualifying round by the 12th seed, Chicago Blackhawks. They had not made the playoffs the previous two seasons before, and have made the postseason once in the last 13 years. Edmonton’s exit is sparking the conversation about needing more heart, or shall we say “Hart”.
Edmonton Oilers rumors – Taylor Hall
Oddly, the one time they did make the playoffs was in 2017, a year after trading future MVP, Taylor Hall to NJ for Adam Larsson. At the time, Oilers GM, Peter Chiarelli felt he needed to improve his defense and moved Hall who was completed stunned by the deal.
“I have a pretty deep connection to the city of Edmonton and I felt like I did everything I could there,” Hall said after the trade. According to reports, he voiced his displeasure with Chiarelli before the deal went public. “It’s pretty hard not to feel slighted, it’s pretty hard not to feel a little bit disappointed with how everything shook out.”
Hall, an Alberta native, wanted to be part of the solution for the Oilers. He used that disappointment to fuel an MVP winning season with 93 points in the 2017-18 campaign.
Unfortunately for the Devils, Hall was not interested in signing a new deal to play in the swamp. He was then sent to the desert to play with Arizona this past trade deadline.
Arizona exit, leaving the Coyotes flat
It has been a rough time in Arizona these past few weeks. They basically had their GM, John Chayka quit on them after the team refused to let him interview for the Devils GM job. The Yotes were then bounced from the post season, and now it could get even worse if Taylor Hall doesn’t sign before the Free Agency bell rings.
Offensively, Hall struggled this season with just 52 points in 65 games playing in NJ and Arizona. He did put up a respectable 6 points in 9 playoffs games, but it wasn’t enough to get the job done in the first round.
Still, this a player just two seasons removed from winning the Hart trophy. He has the size and skill that are hard to come by in this league, and will be coveted by many teams if he hits the open market.
In early August, Arizona’s Owner and COO were handling the negotiations with Hall. If the Yotes can’t come to at least a hand shake agreement with him, they will need to trade his rights at the draft in October.
Hall’s comments lends credence to the speculation
After getting eliminated, Taylor Hall was asked about free agency. In particular what he was looking for in a team, “I’d say it’s pretty much all winning,” Hall said. “I don’t think the money’s going to be what it was maybe before COVID or before the season, but that’s fine. I think we get paid a lot of money to play a game, and we’ll see what happens.”
To be fair, he said that he had a “good experience in Arizona” but is still going to talk with his agent about UFA plans. While that sounds nice for the Coyotes, reality is that those remarks mean he will likely hit the open market.
Edmonton Oilers rumors may right a wrong
Hindsight is 20/20, but the Oilers made a big mistake in trading Taylor Hall. He is exactly what they need up front. A big physical winger that scores the dirty goals you need to win in the playoffs.
This has the rumor mill buzzing that GM, Ken Holland may look to sign him back at a favorable contract. They currently have around $11 million in cap space and need a top line LW.
What the Oilers have is an abundance of centers in Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It is said the Rangers have been sniffing around for a 2nd line center, and Nugent-Hopkins has been connected before. Could they move him there to open up more cap room?
The bottom line is that the Oilers need a player like Taylor Hall. The GM, that traded him away is gone, so it opens the door for a return. Expect this rumor to build up.