Taylor Hall – Left wing
23-years old
Drafted 1st overall in 2010
Signed to a seven-year, $42 million contract. $6,000,000 salary and cap hit each year. In year two of the deal.
- Darren Dreger: “Hall trade could be considered to change culture and acquire much needed assets. I’m surprised this has generated such a reaction. Oilers need help in so many areas. Everything must be considered. Now, if Hall proves to MacTavish and Nelson he is unquestionably part of the solution on and off the ice longterm, then no sense trading.
- Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal: Matheson thinks that Taylor Hall is close to untouchable, but if they were to move him, it would be for one of two things ….
1. he wants out because he’s tired of losing after his Memorial Cup highs with the junior Windsor Spitfires, or
2. they can dangle him for a high-end defenceman because, frankly, they are a long way from having a dominant blueliner such as Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith or Mark Giordano — all Western Conference behemoths who can provide offence plus go against the other team’s top players.
Hall is their most popular player.
- Nichols on Hockey: Darren Dreger on TSN 1050 radio on Oilers Taylor Hall:
“Taylor Hall, at least again from a culture standpoint – more in the room, not necessarily on the ice – hasn’t been what they hoped he would be.
“And so when MacTavish looks into his crystal ball and tries to see what might come his way via trade, he’s got to be looking to the trade deadline. And then beyond that obviously looking at the draft floor. Because if you’re moving a piece like Taylor Hall, and I believe that Taylor Hall will be in play, then the rate of return is always best when teams have flexibility in the summer.”
If Hall is really one of the players they’d move …
“Yeah. I think it speaks from a willingness to adapt. So I am choosing my words carefully in saying that. I don’t – I’m not in that room… We gather our information from the sources that we have and my sense is Taylor Hall has a pretty specific way/vision of how he sees he needs to play, and maybe how the team needs to play. And he isn’t really open to the idea of change. And that’s a problem.”
On MacTavish going behind the bench, which may not be a bad thing.
“I don’t either and Craig MacTavish has to see first-hand that what I’ve said is true. If you’re moving out a franchise player, potentially, like Taylor Hall is, you’d better be damn certain that that’s the right move for the organization. Because he is an elite talent. If you’re moving out Jordan Eberle, someone like that – again, from that inner-core that you paid dearly, obviously too early – then you have to be certain.