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New Jersey Devils: Figuring Out Taylor Hall’s Ceiling

By Nick Villano

MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 1: Taylor Hall #9 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates with the bench after scoring the winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on April 1, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images)
MONTREAL, QC - APRIL 1: Taylor Hall #9 of the New Jersey Devils celebrates with the bench after scoring the winning goal against the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL game at the Bell Centre on April 1, 2018 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Francois Lacasse/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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The New Jersey Devils will go into the 2018-19 season with the reigning MVP on the roster for the first time in their history. So, how much higher can Taylor Hall go?

Taylor Hall was nothing short of amazing last year for the New Jersey Devils. He became the franchise’s first ever Hart Trophy award winner. He scored a career high 93 points, and added a bunch of firsts. It was the first time he led a team to a playoff berth. It was also the first time he broke the 30-goal barrier. With no season preceding it looking anywhere near this, how can we really determine the ceiling of Taylor Hall?

Well, for one, we know Hall seems truly happy to be playing hockey for the first time in a long time. He seemed genuinely stressed out during those last few years in Edmonton, and it showed with his play on the ice. He was trying to carry the team on his back. Once the team got Connor McDavid, it was almost like he was trying to prove himself all over again.

In his first season in New Jersey, Hall seemed to play distracted. The entire time it felt like he was still trying to figure out why he was traded. It ended with another lost season for the Devils, and a lackluster point season from Hall. That was anything from the truth last season.

Hall seems to genuinely love playing with Nico Hischier. Those two will make magic once again this season, no matter who’s on their wing (it’ll probably be Kyle Palmieri).

So, with all that on the table, can Hall actually be better than he was last season?

There are two sides to this argument, as there usually are. To say that he can’t has some intriguing points. For one, there’s no chance Hall is going to score in 26 straight games again. It was a streak we hadn’t seen in a long time, and one that is unlikely to be repeated. Also, there’s the fact that Hall has never done this before. He scored 13 points than he ever had in his career. The last time he scored this many points, he did it for the Windsor Spitfires.

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However, there is much more evidence showing that Hall can indeed repeat, and even exceed his MVP season. Going back to Hischier, he’s expected to be much better this season. After ranking second on the team in points as a rookie, the Devils top-line center could get closer to 25 goals and 70 points. Those extra points would add points to Hall’s season total.

Also, Palmieri is expected to play a full season. He knows how to put the puck in the back of the net, especially on the power play. That should help Hall add to his point total.

Beyond that, Hall missed six games last season. If he played those games, then he could have broken 100 points.

Speaking of 100 points, I think that’s Hall’s ceiling. I think he can conceivably outproduce last season and breaking the milestone for the first time in his NHL career. It will take a lot of things going right, but we are talking about ceiling here.

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