Yesterday, the Fourth Period (TFP) Editor-in-Chief David Pagnotta made waves in the hockey world when he reported that left wing Taylor Hall is allegedly uninterested in re-signing an extension with the New Jersey Devils. The news was not taken lightly by Devils fans, whose reactions ranged from constructive opposition of Pagnotta’s report, to throwing denial-fueled tantrums in response to comprehending news they don’t want to hear.
The ordeal took another turn later that day when Mike Morreale of NHL.com reported a story that contradicts the Fourth Period’s report on the matter. General Manager Ray Shero, along with Hall’s agent Darren Ferris, declined there being any truth to the initial reports, insisting that talks are ongoing between both sides and Hall’s camp doesn’t feel any pressure to sign an extension soon as he becomes eligible on July 1.
Regardless of whether there’s any truth to Pagnotta’s report or if he was looking for some extra clicks, it’s simply a case of one report’s word against another’s—and will likely remain that way until whatever happens, happens.
All we can do moving forward is speculate.
Looking at where this report originated is a good way to start. The Fourth Period is a well-known hockey rumor and analysis website that’s been around for years. While TFP is a solid resource for keeping up with the latest hockey news and rumors, I wouldn’t put their credibility on the same level as Bob McKenzie and Darren Dreger, but also wouldn’t bunch them in the same category as more untenable outlets like Hockeybuzz.
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The most important detail of TFP’s Taylor Hall report is the wording, which states “multiple well-placed sources have told TFP the 27-year old, as of now, is not interested in signing a new deal with the club.”
The key words in this particular quote are “as of now,” which if you look at the big picture, is essentially old news and nothing we didn’t already know. As Hockeybuzz writer Todd Cordell tweeted, the report’s wording could largely be interpreted as Taylor Hall’s camp wants to see how the New Jersey Devils improve this offseason and indicate their readiness to start seriously contending again, before re-signing long-term. If this is in fact the case, you can’t really blame Hall—someone who’s only made the postseason once in his nine-year NHL career—to seek this type of assurance before mortgaging the rest of his prime playing years to one team.
Let’s be real—if you were a star-caliber player in the prime of their career, would you agree to play the next eight years on a less-than-subpar team (with no guarantee of improving this offseason) moving forward?
Nonetheless, I don’t see any signs or reason to deduce that Taylor Hall’s days with the New Jersey Devils are numbered. Regardless of what’s really going on behind the scenes, general managers and agents will naturally deny claims of this nature, whereas reports from those anonymous “sources” that insiders (save a select few) notoriously cite don’t deserve the extraordinary reactions they get, like the ones we saw in light of yesterday’s report.