Hall faces dilemma with Devils
Former MVP seems ready to jump ship for Cup contender
Time to clear up some cap space: an MVP forward could be heading to free agency next summer. And, while money will obviously matter in terms of where Taylor Hall ends up, a bigger selling point will be the chance to win a championship.
That’s something the New Jersey Devils still aren’t offering him at the moment.
Stuck in last place in the Metropolitan Division with the worst record in hockey, the Devils aren’t showing what anyone had expected of a team that made headlines in the summer by drafting Jack Hughes with the No. 1 overall pick and then practically stealing P.K. Subban from Nashville in a salary-dump trade.
The Devils were supposed to be a playoff team this year. Instead, it’s looking like the same old scenario for a player who has appeared in just five playoff games during his 10-year career.
And, while Hall seems frustrated, the fan base’s frustration is only making matters worse. After all, even Ottawa has more wins.
“We’re kind of battling our own fans right now,” Hall told reporters following a 7-6 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Wednesday. “We were 1-for-3 on the power play and we’re getting booed. It’s a tie game, we’re getting booed. That’s a tough environment to play in sometimes, especially when you’re at home.
“I understand the fans’ frustration. After the game, if they’re booing (because) we’re losing, that’s fine. But when we’re 1-for3 on the power play and they’re booing our power play, that’s tough. If you’re playing at home, you want to feed off the energy of the crowd and not let that affect you, but sometimes it does.”
You don’t have to read between the lines to figure out what
Hall is saying: this isn’t what he signed up for. And while we’re months away from July 1, he surely doesn’t intend on re-upping for more of it.
No one wants to play on a losing team. They certainly don’t want to play for a losing team that’s getting booed out of its own arena. Unfortunately for Hall, he already has plenty of experience in this department.
The 27-year-old has been here way too many times before. He missed the playoffs in his first six years in Edmonton before getting traded to New Jersey, where he’s since missed the playoffs in two of the past three years.
The one time he made it, the Devils were a surprising eighth seed in 2018 but were eliminated in five short games.
That’s not what a former No. 1 overall pick and Hart Trophy winner envisions for his career.
“You want to play on the best team possible,” Hall said in July. “I’ve played nine seasons in the NHL and only won one playoff game. You want to be on a team that’s not only a playoff contender, but a Stanley Cup contender every year, because I only have so many more years left in this league and so many more chances to win a Stanley Cup.”