New Jersey Devils: Five Likely Reasons Behind Ray Shero’s Firing
By Mike Luci
Handling of the Taylor Hall Situation
From failing to re-sign him long-term last summer to the humbling return the Devils got from the Arizona Coyotes, it’s safe to say Ray Shero’s handling of his team’s former cornerstone player Taylor Hall was moot at best. Had things gone differently this season, you can argue Hall might have already signed with the Devils by now, or at least the prospects of it happening would have been more assuring.
Throughout the summer and beginning of the season, Hall’s party iterated they were in no rush to sign an extension, which raised prospects of him walking for nothing this summer, like John Tavares did with the New York Islanders in 2018. Throw in the ever-constant risk of Hall suffering an injury, which would further decrease his trade value, along with his relatively disenchanting performance this season, Shero was in a lose-lose situation.
The return for Hall from the Coyotes—defensive prospect Kevin Bahl, forwards Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr and a 2020 1st-round pick—left a sour taste in the mouths of New Jersey Devils fans. For a star-caliber player in Hall (given he’s currently being perceived as a rental for Arizona), the Devils essentially received two AHL players with projected short ceilings should they crack an NHL roster, a 19-year old 6’7’’ defenseman still in his developmental years and two draft picks.
Throw in how Hall claimed the New Jersey Devils never made a contract offer to him before he was dealt, it only makes the outcome more frustrating to accept.
Shero failed to acquire an asset that could be immediately added to his current roster. The players he did get are, for the most part, question marks that likely won’t replace Hall’s role and contributions any time soon. In the grand scheme of things, the Devils took a substantial step back by trading Hall and you could argue this entire outcome could have been entirely avoided if Shero took more calculated steps.