New Jersey Devils: Don’t Listen To Taylor Hall Rumors Until They Matter
By Nick Villano
Every NHL analyst will look at the Taylor Hall situation and immediately place him on the trading block as we continue into the offseason. However, there’s nothing tangible indicating that to be true.
New Jersey Devils fans were not happy to hear Taylor Hall‘s name mentioned in trade rumors. After how this season’s gone, especially the past month, it started a doom and gloom mindset that nobody wants to see. The most common reaction was “he’s gone.”
That seems extreme, especially since everything we’ve heard from GM Ray Shero and Hall himself tells us he wants to be here and he trusts management to make things right. Literally less than a week ago Hall told Sportsnet he didn’t think he’d be this happy in New Jersey. I understand that the narrative changes on a dime in today’s world of social media, but less than a week ago he says he’s happy here and now because national media says one thing people are giving up on re-signing him.
This all started when Bob McKenzie mentioned he thinks the Devils will have to look at their Hall situation like the Ottawa Senators looked at the Erik Karlsson situation. He mentioned the bad season the Devils are having and that last year might have been a fluke. Sure, things look pretty terrible right now, but the future is definitely not as bad as it might look.
Just think about what this team looks like without the sheer level of injuries. Or, think about what this team looks like if they had this Cory Schneider and Mackenzie Blackwood all season. Nothing has worked out for the Devils, but this is a once in a generation type season. How often is the entire top line on the shelf, half of the middle six is injured, and the team is forced to trade two other forwards? Of those injuries, one is the reigning Hart-Trophy winner who missed two months now.
The Devils still need some pieces to become major contenders, but those pieces might be on their way. Half a dozen AHL players are now getting crucial NHL experience that could help them make the jump next season. Nico Hischier looked like a legitimate star prior to his injury. Blake Coleman was one of the best players on the ice before he was forced into a top-six role that doesn’t suit him. Travis Zajac has had a career resurgence.
Like I said, it’s not as bad as it looks, and it looks really bad.
Then, there’s at least three pro-ready prospects who could jump onto the Devils roster next year. Ty Smith looks like an absolute stud. Jeremy Davies might win the Hobey Baker award for top college player. Reilly Walsh is having another great season at Harvard. They all play defense, which is the Devils biggest need right now.
That’s not even talking about Jesper Boqvist and Aarne Talvitie who both might be ready to make the jump depending on some factors.
That’s just the prospects. That doesn’t include the fact that Shero once again proved he’s a wizard with his trades and the fact they have a litany of cap space to work with this offseason. These are all things that can be used to convince Hall that better days are ahead.
Beyond that, it’s more than likely that the only reason the Devils haven’t re-signed Hall is because the NHL rules don’t allow it. He may have signed an extension this past offseason.
The point is, every single national NHL analyst will talk about Hall’s impending free agency through the offseason until July 1st. There’s multiple reasons for this. One, they just need something to talk about and with Mark Stone signed trading for Hall would be the biggest possible move of the offseason. Even Erik Karlsson signing somewhere else doesn’t eclipse that.
Another reason is it’s very possible rival GMs are trying to put out rumors about Hall to establish a market. It happens all the time, where “sources” say things to writers that are misinterpreted by the public. To be fair, the reporters don’t usually project them as a team giving up on a player, but there is space in those reports for fans to come to that conclusion. All a GM has to do is tell a Bob McKenzie or Brian Burke that they think Hall will be available based on the circumstances, even if Shero doesn’t say it himself.
Next. Three Devils Who Benefit From Deadline Moves. dark
Do yourself a favor. Don’t listen to these reports until there’s validity to those reports. The Devils are a very secretive team, as we learned with Hall’s injury status. They aren’t going to let it leak if they want to trade Hall. They don’t need to establish a market for him, he’s going to get a massive return no matter what. Putting those rumors out there only hurts his value.
We will get to the offseason, and that’s when we will get answers. There is no answer coming, only reports from sources. We can go crazy following those reports, or we can put our trust in this team they will do the right thing. It’s hard to do with how last offseason went and how badly things went this season, but if they can keep Hall, the turnaround could be coming soon.