The New Jersey Devils were dealt a situation where they needed to trade away a former MVP and they finally have done that.
The New Jersey Devils have finally done it. They traded away Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for picks and prospects. They sent Hall and Speers to the Yotes in exchange for a first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, a conditional third-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, defenseman Kevin Bahl, and forwards Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr. The trade comes with New Jersey retaining 50 percent of Taylor Hall’s contract.
Hall is a pure rental for the Arizona Coyotes. The Devils probably would have gotten more for him had there been an extension but he is likely going to hit free agency on July first. He will wear 91 with them as he tries to lead them into the playoffs. Arizona is in first place in the Pacific Division yet Taylor Hall will assume the accolade of team scoring leader. They get scoring done by the committee but are sure to get a boost with Taylor Hall joining the group.
As for the Devils, they add some picks and prospects to the cupboard as they look to move forward now. There is no longer the cloud of what they are going to do with Hall over them. They can simply worry about developing their young players and moving forward as a group. Hockey is not about one player, it is the ultimate team game. The Devils have a good young nucleus started and are only looking to improve on that. This trade allows them to now focus more on the future of the team.
The Devils will play their first game without Hall in the organization on Wednesday night against the Anaheim Ducks at home. It is time for the team to move forward. It is up to guys like Nico Hischier, Jack Hughes, and Kyle Palmieri to step up to the plate and lead this team. They are the face of the franchise now.
Taylor brought some good memories to the lives of Devils fans but it is time to move on. We wish him luck in his quest to get paid and win the Stanley Cup one day, it just isn’t going to be in New Jersey. The Devils did everything they could to make him want to stay and it just wasn’t happening. The writing was on the wall early in the season and it is finally done.