New Jersey Devils: 12 Gifts From Team This Christmas Season

Gift #2: Taylor Hall’s Big Year

Coming into this season, Taylor Hall was still the best player on this roster. This type of talent hasn’t been on the roster for a couple years prior to the one-for-one trade that sent him to New Jersey. Despite his immense skill, something seemed off last season.

Many believe the shock of being traded from the Edmonton Oilers stayed with him all season long. He had a twelve point drop from one season to the next. He shot a career low 8.4% while lighting the lamp just 20 times.

This season, we’ve seen the best Taylor Hall possible.

He’s been all over the ice. He has been entering the zone without losing the puck much more often than he was last season. Hall’s stats tell the story.

Let’s look at a stat that doesn’t get talked about too often. His shot through percentage sits at 61.2 percent, a career high. This means that Hall’s shots are going on net more often than ever before. That shows that Hall has much more confidence in his shot. When it goes off his stick, it gets to the net much more often than last year.

Hall leads the team with 34 points in 33 games. He’s on pace for 84 points, more than he’s ever scored in one season. If he continues at this torrid pace, he could lead this team to the playoffs. It would be the first playoff appearance in his eight-year career.