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Hotstove: Should The Oilers Consider Trading Taylor Hall?

December 16, 2014, 10:40 AM ET [411 Comments]
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Welcome to another edition of the Hockeybuzz hotstove.

Multiple reports are out there suggesting the Oilers are willing to listen to offers for Taylor Hall, and that his name could very well be in play.

In today's hotstove we'll discuss whether or not the Oilers are smart to consider moving their franchise winger.

Todd Cordell

If the Oilers trade Taylor Hall it'll be a monumental mistake.

Listening to what's out there couldn't hurt just in case some team is willing to drastically overpay, but I really don't see that happening.

When a star player is traded rarely does the team moving the best player win the trade. Look at the Joe Thornton trade, the Tyler Sequin (to Dallas) trade, etc.

When teams try to acquire stars it's because they want to add a top-tier player to the ones they already have, so for any interested party they'd try selling Edmonton on a deal that gives multiple good players for a great one and, as I mentioned, that rarely works out in favor of the team moving the great one.

Taylor Hall is an elite player, signed long-term and he still has a ton of good years ahead of him. Moving him would only set back a once proud franchise that's done nothing but lose for almost a decade.

Matt Henderson

No team should turn away calls about any of their players but people need to understand that Hall is an elite player in the NHL and it will take more than a good package to shake him free from Edmonton. I saw one person suggest Evander Kane and a 2nd for Hall. That's laughable. If that's the best other GM's can offer then Hall will be an Oiler until he hits Free Agency. End of story.

James Tanner

It is idiotic to move Taylor Hall. When do you get guys like that? When you draft them or when a team panics. Really, it's one of the dumbest ideas I've ever heard. He's their best player and they aren't losing because of him. They are losing because while waiting for their prospects to develop, they seem to have forgotten to dress current NHL players. I mean, if they drafted the exact same players, but they had a team with an NHL goalie and at least 1 top pairing NHL defensman, or something even reasonably close, we would be praising their rebuild. Which, if they're patient enough, we eventually will be anyways.

Michael Stuart

No. Not at all.

Edmonton has a lot of problems. Their best player isn’t one of them. Trading Hall would be a monumental mistake in Edmonton, unless they could somehow ensure that trading Hall meant getting McDavid at the end of the year.

On an Edmonton team that has been brutal since he arrived, Hall has developed into one of the league’s best left-wingers. His 80 point season last year was impressive, to say the least. Given the bargaining position in which the Oilers currently find themselves, I have to imagine that it would be nearly impossible to deal Hall and walk away with equal or greater value.

Further, this whole “uncoachable” argument is pure garbage. Are we really supposed to believe that he’s the problem in that Oilers room? Dallas Eakins wasn’t able to get through to Hall, and that’s why the Oilers are failing? Give me a break. Even if he is hard to work with, it would be foolish for the Oilers to ship him away. It’s a lot easier to find a new coach to work with a player than it is to replace a player like Hall.

Tim Chiasson

I don't like the timing of these claims on Taylor Hall. Dealing a franchise player would be the ultimate panic move.

Has the Greyhound bus that left permanent scars on Roberto Luongo made its way to Edmonton? It's only been a few days since MacTavish held his national dog and pony show and backed Dallas Eakins and now he's gone and Hall's character is being questioned.

If the Oilers trade Taylor Hall they are basically rebuilding the rebuild. Trading Hall isn't going to magically make Schultz and the rest of the bad decisions any better. The Oilers have made questionable calls in every aspect of the game - drafting, free agency and trades - since the initial rebuild began when Pronger's days ended in Edmonton.

I don't think it's smart to trade Hall, or even have that thought out there. If he's frustrated with the organization who can really blame him? He has been the only bright spot on that team since he arrived. Edmonton needs to start sending players not named Hall, or RNH, elsewhere and fire Lowe, MacTavish and the amateur scouts.

Edmonton is a hot mess right now and it starts with the old boys club, not the current franchise winger.

Adam French

Yes listen.

Obviously it is smart to listen to offers for Hall. Agreeing to the offers is another thing. If the media is correct in pointing out that MacT has been served a pile of tripe from his colleagues for his prime assets, you can't make a move to say "LOOK I DID IT OK?" Now this might be a Columbus situation and might be the closest comparison...or a Kovalchuk situation if the rumours of Hall wanting out turn true. Rick Nash played on some pretty bad Jackets teams, he was their top scorer most years and easily their "franchise" player, but he wasn't enough. He simply couldn't carry the load and it was plain that for Columbus to go forward, they might need to take a step back.

When Nash was dealt, the Jackets were in a sinkhole, similar to the Oilers. They had all this "talent," but couldn't generate offense, they had no depth and their top line couldn't carry the load. They had an under-performing defense. Plus Mason was an absolute sieve like Fasthvens have been. They were the last place team in the league and needed a bold face lift. They made drastic moves.

While from what I've seen RNH has been the best Oilers young forward this year, there's no doubt that Hall has been more of an offensive threat. His return could be substantial, he's younger than Nash was at the time of his move and is a similar player who has shown he has a level above in my opinion.

What is this return though?

Nash (top line winger) returned Dubinsky (2nd line two-way centre), Anisimov (3rd line two-way centre), Tim Erixon (top prospect) and a 2013 first (Kerby Rychel)

On paper, one wonders if it was worth it. In the end I think both teams ended up happy (though no doubt Columbus would have liked Erixon to have worked out).

Who could offer a similar package? Who could offer up the (I assume) defenseman needed to make a deal. I can't see it, I just can't right now. So in the end, listen to the offers, but don't bite unless it's worth it or he demands a trade.

For fun though.

Big Buff, Josh Morrissey, Zach Bogosian and their 2015 first round pick for Taylor Hall and Jeff Petry (One can imagine as a UFA he might want out)

I know Oilers fans would hate it, but that's some crazy change.

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