Hall proceeding gingerly during workouts
Oklahoma City – Taylor Hall showed up at work dressed in yellow on Wednesday.
That’s yellow as in proceed with caution. No collisions were allowed; not for awhile, anyway.
The Edmonton Oilers winger has started skating with the American Hockey League’s Oklahoma City Barons, but he won’t be playing any games until Halloween, at least.
He’ll be here in Oklahoma City as long as the NHL is on lockout. If the two sides suddenly come to a resolution and there’s a new collective bargaining agreement and an NHL training camp in 10 days or so, he’ll be back at Rexall Place. But, for now, he’s in hurry-up-and-wait mode.
“They’re going to have to pull the reins back on me. If it was up to me, I’d be playing games, but I have to lay low,” said Hall, who had shoulder surgery more than six months ago, but is still on the rehabilitation train.
Hall is still being paid his NHL salary because he’s technically injured. He is naturally antsy; he’s not used to sitting around.
“Yeah, this is the longest I’ve ever gone without playing a game. Six months. It feels like forever,” said the left-winger, who will be watching the Barons’ home opener on Friday while Oklahoma City captain Josh Green likely takes his spot with Oilers’ young guns Jordan Eberle and Ryan NugentHopkins.
Hall is under the watchful eye of head coach Todd Nelson and Oilers assistant athletic therapist Chris Davie.
“I’m in a different jersey (setting him apart from the 16 other forwards on the current Barons’ roster),” said Hall, who was skating with the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings along with fellow Oilers forward Ryan Smyth until he took the next step in his rehab by reporting to the Barons.
If he was itching to take a few hits with the junior squad, he knew he had pull back.
There is no timetable for when he can take contact. All he knows is there will be no games for two weeks, at least.
He’s been following the labour war, like every other NHLer. He knows the NHL would like to be back playing on Nov. 2, so they can get a full 82 games in, if the two sides can hammer out an agreement.
“The NHL is a definite possibility (playing his first game), but I’m really focused now on playing here,” he said.
At the minimum, Hall would like to get in some battle drills, or a scrimmage. Anything to take the rust off since Colorado Avalanche defenceman Ryan Wilson drilled him into the boards about 11 months ago and made his already shaky shoulder worse.
Hall was able to gut it out until the last month of the season, managing 53 points in 61 games.