When Team Canada finalized their World Cup roster there were a handful of notable omissions.
That comes with the territory - there are no shortage of high-end Canadian players to choose from - but Taylor Hall was among the few that probably should have been on the roster from the start.
With recent news that left winger Jamie Benn will be unable to participate in the World Cup due to injury Hall seemed like the perfect replacement candidate.
He plays the same position and over the last four seasons the two have scored at a remarkably similar rate at 5 v 5. Benn has averaged 2.54 points per 60 (2nd in that span) while Hall averaged 2.49 points per 60 (3rd in that span).
Management feels they have found a better solution, though, as they elected to replace Benn with San Jose Sharks forward Logan Couture.
While Couture is a fine player I think Hall definitely would have certainly been a better replacement.
Over the last couple seasons Couture has 50 5 v 5 points and has averaged 1,73 points per 60 minutes in that game state. Over the same span Hall has 74 points and has averaged 2.15 points per 60 minutes, which ties him with Evgeni Malkin in that regard.
That Hall has managed to be a much more efficient point producer despite having lesser teammates to work with - especially on defense - is impressive.
Hall is an elite scorer, is excellent in the transition game and has posted better numbers than Couture in almost every objective measurement. Choosing the latter over the former seems odd.
This is not a knock on Couture - again, he is a very good player - but rather another example of people underrating Hall's abilities despite his ability to consistently put up excellent numbers.
New Jersey Devils Blogger • 
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