Taylor Hall to Arizona: Low risk, high reward

Taylor Hall with the New Jersey Devils. Credit: Greg Thompson/IGetty Images

Well, the wait, is finally over,

Taylor Hall has been traded.

With a rumor mill that quickly became one of the most discussed topics in the NHL, numerous teams were rumored to be in the running for the former New Jersey Devils forward and former 1^st overall pick. After an underwhelming 53-point performance in his first year with the team after having been traded there for Adam Larsson, Hall recorded 93 points over 76 games, almost singlehandedly led the Devils into the playoffs, and won the Hart trophy as NHL MVP. This instantly made many believe that the Devils were finally turning into a contender once more after a 28-40 record the previous season.

Instead, injuries limited Hall to just 33 games as the Devils sank to the bottom of the standings once more, and things have only gotten worse this year. Despite acquiring many high-profile players like PK Subban, Wayne Simmonds, and KHL star Nikita Gusev, the Devils have looked lifeless in many of their games this year, lacking in solid defense and goaltending.

With Hall set to become a UFA this summer, and having publicly said he wont resign in New Jersey, the Devils started looking for trade offers, which started the rumor mill. In the end, it was the Arizona Coyotes who won out in this instance. Hall, along with former Devils 3^rd round pick Blake Speers, was dealt to the Yotes in exchange prospects Nick Merkley, Nate Scharr, Kevin Bahl, along with a 1^st round pick in 2020 (top 3 projected) and a conditional 3^rd round pick in 2021.

This is the 2^nd big name trade made recently by GM John Chayka since being hired in May of 2016, with the Phil Kessel for Alex Galchenyuk trade (which I have talked about before on this blog) having paid off big, with Galchenyuk once again on the trading block in Pittsburgh, while Kessel has been solid. However, while that trade was somewhat well understood in terms of each team’s motives (even if they didn’t pan out) I find this is a different story.

The Phil Kessel for Alex Galchenyuk trade paid off big dividends for the Coyotes. Credit: Getty images

Thing is, the Devils simply could’ve, in my opinion, gotten more for Hall, especially from a team like the Coyotes, who’s younger players like Nick Schmaltz and Clayton Keller have in essence made up their offense this year. Instead, they got solid, if unproven rookies in exchange for a proven superstar in Hall.

Out of these 3 players, Nick Merkley is the most interesting one in my opinion, having emerged as a top producer for AHL Tuscon, recording 39 points in 38 games as a 20 year old in 2017-18. In many ways, he’s a lesser version of Schmaltz, a smaller, quick thinking forward with offensive ability. He was only given 1 game in Arizona, so for the Devils, I think it’d be in their best interest to give him a longer look down the line. As for Bahl and Schnarr, both were 3^rd round picks in 2018 and 2017 respectively, and both have promise, with Schnarr having recorded 102 points in his final year of junior, but they both don’t have enough experience to make a fair judgement just yet.

Nick Merkley has become an offensive leader for AHL Tuscon. Credit: Mike Christy/Arizona Daily Star

With the 1^st round pick being top 3 projected, this could help the Devils immensely if they net another future star like Jack Hughes, and if Arizona wins the Stanley Cup (highly unlikely but still) that 3^rd round pick becomes a 1^st round pick.

Now, as for Arizona, their returns need less discussion. I followed Blake Speers briefly when he was playing against the Canadiens in a preseason series a few years ago, and from what I saw he has promise, possessing great speed and a solid shot, but he still needs to adjust to the professional game as his AHL numbers have been underwhelming at best. Still, he’s displayed decent defensive abilities down below, so he could sneak onto an NHL roster in a bottom six role in the future if he can’t figure out his offense.

As for Hall, now that he’s seemingly healthy, Yotes fans are hoping their getting the NHL MVP Taylor Hall of 2 years ago, and if they are, watch out. Arizona is already leading the, admittedly, rather weak Pacific Division, being on pace for 98 points this year, possessing Vezina calibre goaltending from former journeyman backup Darcy Kuemper, and a solid, stingy, if unremarkable defense. Their one issue from both last year and this year has been offense, and well, Hall provides exactly that. He’ll certainly be able to take some pressure off players like Schmaltz and Keller and assume a leadership role on the offensive side.

To sum up, this is certainly a weird trade, and one which is in essence an automatic win for the Coyotes right now, and tomorrow, and the day after. For the Devils to get their mileage they’ll have to work hard to develop these prospects and expect them to tank the rest of this year, and maybe get another 1^st overall pick. Above all, its no money down for the Yotes, and a long road ahead for the Devils.