Hall and ’Yotes: Arizona acquires sniper
The Arizona Coyotes have acquired Taylor Hall. It's more than a one for one deal. But the pieces that the New Jersey Devils are getting back are all fairly small ones.
Edmonton's rivals in Arizona gave up a top three lotteryprotected first-round pick in the 2020 NHL draft, a third-round selection (conditional) in 2021, plus prospects Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr for Hall and Blake Speers. New Jersey will also retain 50 per cent of Hall's salary for this year.
Said Arizona GM John Chayka to reporters: “Taylor Hall is one of the elite talents in the game today; a Hart Trophy winner, high-end playmaker and one of the NHL's most talented forwards. We are beyond thrilled to add Taylor to our team as we continue in our mission of bringing a Stanley Cup home to Arizona.”
It was an OK-ish return for Hall, but there is no obvious outstanding prospect heading New Jersey's way, not even a prospect as good as Erik Brannstrom, the return that Ottawa got for Mark Stone (along with a second round pick).
“Underwhelming return for Taylor Hall,” said long-time hockey writer Larry Brooks of the New York Post. “Devils got quantity. I'd have gone for quality. If one-for-one, so be it, but here's NJ, with one playoff appearance and one playoff game victory since 2012, right back in the rebuild morass. Rangers may have gotten more quality for Hayes and Nash.”
At The Athletic, writer Corey Pronman has Bahl as the third top prospect in Arizona's mid-ranked farm system, after Barrett Hayton and Victor Soderstrom. Said Pronman: “Bahl projects to be one of the top physical forces in the league as a six-foot-six defenceman who leans on checks regularly… He won't be a power play guy in the NHL, but he's got average hands and has good offensive instincts. Under pressure he can be forced into errors, but he also made some impressive plays last season that convinced me there's more there. You add in OK feet — but very good for his size — and there's NHL projection there for a guy who can take on a regular shift in the NHL and kill a lot of plays.”
Pronman had Merkley, the 30th overall pick in the 2015 draft, ranked fifth.
“When Merkley returned from injury, he continued his success from the previous season in the AHL, although he didn't really take a step forward. Merkley's strengths continue to be evident ... The concern is his very average skating ability, particularly for a smaller forward, combined with concern among some scouts about what his ultimate role will be if he can't score in the NHL.”
Nate Schnarr, the 75th pick in the 2017 draft, is a rookie centre in the AHL, with nine points in 22 games.
Merkley, 22, has 16 points in 26 AHL games this year, but just three goals.