New Jersey Devils: Taylor Hall Named Finalist For Major Award
By Nick Villano
New Jersey Devils forward Taylor Hall was amazing all season long. His fellow peers know exactly what he brought to this team, and they proved it by nominating him for the Ted Lindsay Award.
Taylor Hall was nothing short of ridiculous all season long. He carried the New Jersey Devils on his back to their first playoff berth since 2012, the first postseason play in Hall’s career. He deserves all the praise he’s getting.
As one could predict, Hall is getting recognized with some award nominations.
Hall joins the Colorado Avalache’s Nathan MacKinnon and Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid as the finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award. It’s an extremely prestigious award, because it’s voted on by his colleagues.
There’s not much else to say about Hall that hasn’t already been said. When the Devils needed a goal, the entire team looked to their star left wing. More often than not, he delivered.
In the past four years, the winner of the Ted Lindsay Award has been a precursor for the Hart Trophy. McDavid, Patrick Kane, Carey Price and Sidney Crosby all won both awards in the offseason.
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I’m sure most Devils fans were hoping this would be the Hart Trophy announcement, but it’s a big deal that Hall is even being considered. Never has a Devils player won the Ted Lindsay Award. Hall can continue to break the mold for players in the Garden State by taking home some hardware.
There’s some real competition for this award. It’s definitely not a lock to go to Hall. I could see McDavid winning this award once again, because of the definition it holds. This doesn’t go to the player who was most important to his team, this goes to the most outstanding player in the NHL. I can totally see players choosing McDavid for leading the league in points on such a garbage team.
It’s a huge honor just to be nominated even if Hall doesn’t win. I know that’s a cliche, but it’s true. The players around the league understand the importance of Hall this season. His fellow peers recognize the job he did this season. That must be huge for him.