A Taylor Hall Trade may not be the Most Popular Move, but it was the Only Move
Well, Devils fans, it's over. The Taylor Hall era is over. And to be honest, it really did not go the way any of us imagined it would on July 29, 2016.
Sure, Hall may have been traded a couple of hours ago for D Kevin Bahl, Fs Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr, a 2020 1st rounder, and a conditional 2021 draft pick. Some Devils fans are, how do I put this, a little disinterested in the return for the 2018 Hart Trophy winner. Especially from Arizona, who is chock full of good prospects and roster players.
Other teams that reportedly checked in on T-Hall were the Blues, Panthers, Bruins, and Canadiens. The Avalanche, who were reportedly one of the front runners the entire time, never even made an offer.
I get it, nobody wanted Taylor Hall to leave. I didn't want Taylor Hall to leave. The man poured his heart and soul into New Jersey and to the Devils, a place where he might not have necessarily wanted to be. Everybody would rather go to the Rangers or Islanders than the Devils. Just ask Artemi Panarin. He made plenty of new friends and made Devils attendance rise like it was 2000 again. An extension not only seemed possible, but likely. He welcomed us with open arms.
And then October 4, 2019 at 9:30 PM, something happened:
The new look Devils, with PK Subban, 1st overall pick Jack Hughes, Nikita Gusev, and Wayne Simmonds, had a 4-0 lead to a Winnipeg team that was projected to miss the playoffs. Not long after, Winnipeg finally got something going. Dmitry Kulikov scored. Then Jack Roslovic. Then Mathieu Perrault. Then Neal Pionk. Tie game. Not even Winnipeg's stars. Some expensive contracts, throw ins for trades, and Jack Roslovic. Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler scored in the shootout to put the nail in the coffin.
Winnipeg Jets: 5, New Jersey Devils: 4
Ever since then, New Jersey's season has gone into a tailspin. Coaches fired, a goalie carousel that we saw coming, and nobody living up to their expectations. Put all these factors into a blender, and the chances of Hall staying became less and less likely.
And on Monday, he was shipped for the package that I mentioned above. Three prospects, two picks. The most popular player on our team was gone, and fans were not happy. But it had to be done. Taylor had to get traded, especially if he was not going to come back. Why did they have to make the move? Two words.
John Tavares
Two years ago, John Tavares was expected to stay with the New York Islanders even after the 2017-18 season, the same season in which Hall won MVP. He didn't, of course, and signed a lucrative contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency. Devils GM Ray Shero was afraid the same thing was going to happen to his star winger, so he shipped him before his numbers dropped even further. Or, worse yet, he got hurt.
Shero seemed handcuffed with the situation. He had to get something in return. Plus, these prospects are not bad at all. Bahl is 6'7" and weighs 240 lbs. Develop him right, and the Devils have their version of Zdeno Chara. Ryan Merkley was a top draft pick in 2015, and he may be a bottom 6 role in a few years after failing to develop in Arizona. Nate Schnarr (who NOBODY heard of before the trade) scored 102 points in 65 games for the OHL champion Guelph Storm.
Are these names ideal? No. I think Devils fans were expecting Victor Soderstrom and/or Barrett Hayton and then were sent back into reality when the trade finally went through.
I get it, guys. I get the anger. I get that Devils fans wanted Hall to stay for the rest of his career in the Garden State. I mean, how do you think Oilers fans felt when Gretzky wore Ranger blue? Or Canucks fans when Bure wore a Panther on his chest? What about Sharks fans felt when Patrick Marleau had to don the classic Maple Leafs jersey for two seasons? Or, the most recent example, how do you think Ducks fans felt to see Corey Perry, a former Hart winner in his own right, play in the Lone Star State for the Dallas Stars? It just doesn't feel right.
With that being said, you have to be realistic. Hall had to be traded somewhere. Would you rather have him leave in free agency with nothing in return? Or would you rather have three prospects and two draft picks that can develop into potential NHL stars?
I think you guys know the correct answer. It's a tough pill to swallow, but trust me, you will get used to it. At least you do not have to see him take on the Devils again until 2020-2021. Every cloud has a silver lining. The problem is that this cloud just seems very dark right now.
Sure, Hall may have been traded a couple of hours ago for D Kevin Bahl, Fs Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr, a 2020 1st rounder, and a conditional 2021 draft pick. Some Devils fans are, how do I put this, a little disinterested in the return for the 2018 Hart Trophy winner. Especially from Arizona, who is chock full of good prospects and roster players.
Other teams that reportedly checked in on T-Hall were the Blues, Panthers, Bruins, and Canadiens. The Avalanche, who were reportedly one of the front runners the entire time, never even made an offer.
I get it, nobody wanted Taylor Hall to leave. I didn't want Taylor Hall to leave. The man poured his heart and soul into New Jersey and to the Devils, a place where he might not have necessarily wanted to be. Everybody would rather go to the Rangers or Islanders than the Devils. Just ask Artemi Panarin. He made plenty of new friends and made Devils attendance rise like it was 2000 again. An extension not only seemed possible, but likely. He welcomed us with open arms.
And then October 4, 2019 at 9:30 PM, something happened:
The new look Devils, with PK Subban, 1st overall pick Jack Hughes, Nikita Gusev, and Wayne Simmonds, had a 4-0 lead to a Winnipeg team that was projected to miss the playoffs. Not long after, Winnipeg finally got something going. Dmitry Kulikov scored. Then Jack Roslovic. Then Mathieu Perrault. Then Neal Pionk. Tie game. Not even Winnipeg's stars. Some expensive contracts, throw ins for trades, and Jack Roslovic. Kyle Connor and Blake Wheeler scored in the shootout to put the nail in the coffin.
Winnipeg Jets: 5, New Jersey Devils: 4
Ever since then, New Jersey's season has gone into a tailspin. Coaches fired, a goalie carousel that we saw coming, and nobody living up to their expectations. Put all these factors into a blender, and the chances of Hall staying became less and less likely.
And on Monday, he was shipped for the package that I mentioned above. Three prospects, two picks. The most popular player on our team was gone, and fans were not happy. But it had to be done. Taylor had to get traded, especially if he was not going to come back. Why did they have to make the move? Two words.
John Tavares
Two years ago, John Tavares was expected to stay with the New York Islanders even after the 2017-18 season, the same season in which Hall won MVP. He didn't, of course, and signed a lucrative contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in free agency. Devils GM Ray Shero was afraid the same thing was going to happen to his star winger, so he shipped him before his numbers dropped even further. Or, worse yet, he got hurt.
Shero seemed handcuffed with the situation. He had to get something in return. Plus, these prospects are not bad at all. Bahl is 6'7" and weighs 240 lbs. Develop him right, and the Devils have their version of Zdeno Chara. Ryan Merkley was a top draft pick in 2015, and he may be a bottom 6 role in a few years after failing to develop in Arizona. Nate Schnarr (who NOBODY heard of before the trade) scored 102 points in 65 games for the OHL champion Guelph Storm.
Are these names ideal? No. I think Devils fans were expecting Victor Soderstrom and/or Barrett Hayton and then were sent back into reality when the trade finally went through.
I get it, guys. I get the anger. I get that Devils fans wanted Hall to stay for the rest of his career in the Garden State. I mean, how do you think Oilers fans felt when Gretzky wore Ranger blue? Or Canucks fans when Bure wore a Panther on his chest? What about Sharks fans felt when Patrick Marleau had to don the classic Maple Leafs jersey for two seasons? Or, the most recent example, how do you think Ducks fans felt to see Corey Perry, a former Hart winner in his own right, play in the Lone Star State for the Dallas Stars? It just doesn't feel right.
With that being said, you have to be realistic. Hall had to be traded somewhere. Would you rather have him leave in free agency with nothing in return? Or would you rather have three prospects and two draft picks that can develop into potential NHL stars?
I think you guys know the correct answer. It's a tough pill to swallow, but trust me, you will get used to it. At least you do not have to see him take on the Devils again until 2020-2021. Every cloud has a silver lining. The problem is that this cloud just seems very dark right now.
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