New Jersey Devils Should Be Scared of Losing Taylor Hall

The New Jersey Devils hopes of making the playoffs this year faded faster than Devils star Taylor Hall would have liked. So much so that he’s come out several times over the past couple weeks expressing his disappointment and of how he’d love to be a part of a playoff team very soon.

From the outset, I firmly believed that the Devils would be a better team than what they’ve proved to be this season. I thought they had improved their scoring enough that even though they lost Adam Larsson that they would be able to overcome it with the great play of Cory Schneider.

Turns out I was totally wrong as Schneider had a career-worst season, the defense struggled mightily, and the offense didn’t put up as much as I had hoped for. Specifically pointing to the non-contribution from Mike Cammalleri, who had the chance to come back from his injury last year and play well, but did the exact opposite.

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What this comes down to is can the Devils become a legitimate playoff contender by the 2019-2020 season when Halls contract will be over and that’s a question nobody really knows now.

Racing Against Time

This is the definition of racing against the clock and if I had to place a bet I would say the Devils are right on schedule. Now the way this season has gone you would think I’m crazy, but Taylor Hall’s a smart guy and he see’s what’s developing around this team and the greatness that this offseason could become.

Firstly the Devils will have at worst a No.5 pick in the draft, but they’ll probably be drafting in the top-three, which guarantee’s them another solid high-end prospect in their already deep prospect pool. Not only that high pick, but we’re also talking about the Devils having an extra pick in the next three rounds as well, which will allow them to either take a boatload of players or perhaps make a package for a big trade.

Before the NHL draft, however, comes the expansion draft, and while the Devils are losing a player, although not one of much importance, I’d wager the Devils as the team to exploit another team’s protection issues to trade for a solid player. The Devils have an excess of cap space and draft picks, which are two essential pieces to have coming into an event like this.

Open the Checkbook for Shattenkirk

Lastly is free agency and I cannot express enough the importance of throwing the proverbial kitchen sink at Kevin Shattenkirk. A defenseman with his skills is exactly what the Devils need. He instantly becomes their No.1 defensemen and top power play option, but just having him back there could help lift the offensive burden from some of the forwards.

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In nutshell, that’s what the Devils need to do to keep Hall. I know he has three more years left on his contract, but I want a happy and productive Hall because he’s at the point in his career where he knows he’s going to make his money.

He will leave in three years if the team isn’t where he deems it should be. He wants to win a championship and at this point, I don’t think he cares whether it’s in Edmonton, New Jersey, or any of the other 28 teams in the league as long as he’s hoisting the Stanley Cup in June.