Oilers should consider trade reunion for Taylor Hall
It seems like there is a moment every season when a former Edmonton Oilers player looks like the perfect trade target for the team—and this year is no different.
Last season, rumours swirled around the Oilers’ alleged interest in bringing back Jordan Eberle via a trade with the Seattle Kraken. It made sense at the time as Ebs was on an expiring contract and the Oilers needed a top-six winger. Yet, in the waning hours of the 2024 trade deadline, Eberle opted to sign an extension with the Kraken instead.
This year, the Oilers need some speed throughout the lineup and somebody who can put the puck in the net. Who else fits that description than former Hart Trophy winner Taylor Hall? Oh yeah, this one should be a hit with the fan base.
Taylor Hall scored a hattrick with the Blackhawks last night and his five goals would be third among #Oilers forwards…
EDM needs scoring and speed up front. Could a reunion be on the cards?
*ducks for cover*
— Preston Hodgkinson (@NHLHodgkinson) November 28, 2024
The former Oilers superstar has had his fair share of ups and downs with the Chicago Blackhawks this season. He was a healthy scratch for the basement team a few weeks ago and he followed that up with a hat trick against the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.
His five goals this season would rank third among Edmonton forwards, behind only Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. It’s clear that he has not lost his scoring touch and still brings a lot of speed to the table, two traits the Oilers desperately need in their top-nine forward group.
As for a potential trade return, the Blackhawks shouldn’t be looking for a “haul” for Hall. As mentioned, he was a healthy scratch recently, and it’s obvious that he isn’t completely in the good books with the Chicago coaching staff. Could Oilers GM Stan Bowman find a way to get out of sending a first-round pick or top prospect in a deal with his former team? Perhaps.
The issue with any potential deal is Hall’s $6 million cap hit, which is too expensive for the Oilers fit at the moment. Either Chicago would need to retain some money or take on an expensive Oilers contract to make things easier.
One player that Edmonton could maybe send back is Jeff Skinner. The veteran has struggled in his debut with the Oilers with just four goals and seven points and carries a $3 million cap hit until the end of the season. Both players are UFAs at the end of the season. The problem there is that Skinner has a no-movement clause and is unlikely to approve a trade to Chicago.
Hall has a controversial history with the Oilers fan base. He was the face of the franchise when Edmonton drafted him first overall and, despite putting in six productive seasons in the Alberta capital, was traded one-for-one to the New Jersey Devils in 2016, with Adam Larsson coming the other way.
It was perhaps one of the most divisive trades of all time among Oilers fans as some thought it was a gross underpayment from the Devils while others criticized Hall for his playstyle not being conducive for a team that wants to win. Hall went on to win the Hart Trophy with the Devils in his second season with the club and has since had stints with the Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and now, the Chicago Blackhawks.
This idea will have plenty of people who hate it and plenty more who will love it. On the surface, it makes sense for the Oilers to be interested in bringing Hall back, but a deal like this will take some maneuvering from both clubs.
It certainly would be one of the more interesting deals potentially on the table for the Oilers.