Six former New Jersey Devils stars to watch in the playoffs
LW. Arizona Coyotes. Taylor Hall. 91. player. 121.
The New Jersey Devils have had exactly one Hart Trophy winner in the history of their franchise. It is a bit surprising because they were one of the best teams in the league for about ten years straight. None of that old core was every able to capture the MVP, but Taylor Hall did back in 2018. It was an incredible achievement for him after he led the Devils to the playoffs for the first time since 2012 that year.
Hall’s tenure with New Jersey had to come to an end earlier than we wanted in 2020, however. His contract was set to expire at the end of the season and the Devils didn’t want him to walk with no return. As a result, they traded him over to the Arizona Coyotes for draft picks and prospects. It was a nice return for both sides as one is looking to make a deep playoff push and the other is looking to add assets so they can keep building.
The Coyotes are facing off against the Nashville Predators in the play-in series. Devils fans might be rooting for them to lose so that their 2020 1st-round pick is higher in the draft. The only risk to that is Arizona being that placeholder winner for the first-overall pick which would push the Devils getting their pick to next season. It is also a chance to watch our old friend play in the playoffs for only the second time in his career.