What should the New Jersey Devils do with Taylor Hall?

Reports indicate that New Jersey Devils’ forward Taylor Hall won’t sign a contract extension with the team in season. Where does the team go from here?

When the New Jersey Devils acquired Taylor Hall from the Edmonton Oilers in 2016, the prevailing thought was that Hall was set to be a centerpiece of the team’s core for years to come. Hall was coming off a 26-goal season in Edmonton, just one tally shy of his career best at the time, and the overwhelming consensus was that the Oilers made a mistake in dealing Hall for defenseman Adam Larsson.

Fast forward to the 2019-20 season, however, and things have certainly changed.

The Devils sit in last place in the Metropolitan Division with a 5-7-4 record and have just 14 points in 16 games played. After an offseason of shrewd moves and nabbing Jack Hughes No. 1 overall in the draft, the Devils were set to make a run at the top players in the division as a team on the rise. Instead, New Jersey has looked sloppy and outmatched, with basement-level goaltending to match.

With playoff hopes slipping away, attention now has turned to Hall, who will hit the free agent market on July 1 should the Devils not reach a deal with him. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, it seems as if Hall will go through the rest of the season without a contract extension.

Speaking on Saturday night’s Headlines segment, Friedman reported that it’s “unlikely” that the Devils will reach a deal before the season ends.

"I think the Devils now know it’s unlikely they are going to be able to get a contract done during the year… I think it’s up to [general manager] Ray Shero, who is going to have to decide what the Devils’ course of action here is going to be, because I think it’s very unlikely he agrees to sign with them during the year."

Hall is represented by his agent Darren Ferris, who — according to Friedman — is a proponent of having his clients sign as late as possible so they can see their worth to a team. The Devils’ forward, a month and a half into the season, seems to be holding that party line.

As talks have stalled between the two parties, there are a few possible avenues for the Devils to explore with Hall. Here are the Devils’ most likely options for how they can handle Hall and his contract situation.

Trade Hall before the deadline

This scenario seems the most likely for the Devils and Hall, given New Jersey’s place in the standings. The Devils, as of Monday, are seven points out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Though not an insurmountable task, sitting above the Devils in the standings are the Pittsburgh Penguins and Tampa Bay Lightning, two strong teams that are likely to make runs of their own for a playoff spot in the coming months.

If the season progresses as is, however, the Devils will be well out of a playoff spot by the end of February when the trade deadline rolls around. Hall, at 27-years-old, will no doubt be looking for a lengthy contract if he hits the free agent market, but he’d immediately be the NHL’s top trade deadline target for a contending team.

This season, Hall has put up 15 points in 16 games, though he has only two goals so far this season with the Devils. Even though his production hasn’t been off the charts with New Jersey this season, Hall would make an immediate impact in a team’s top six as either an injury replacement or an upgrade to a much-needed spot.

Given the hockey world has public knowledge of New Jersey’s contract struggles with Hall, the Devils may not be dealing from the best position of strength in terms of leverage. Still, the Devils will likely get back a package that’s better than what the Oilers received when they traded Hall, and won’t need an immediate impact player in return.

The trade deadline is still months off, but we’ve seen this script before with underperforming teams and tradable star players.

Ride out the season, extend Hall in the summer

Should the Devils right their season in the coming months, New Jersey will likely hold onto Hall and his expiring contract as the team makes a run at the postseason. Though the predictions are slim, the Devils haven’t been eliminated yet and the season is still young.

Though Hall is unlikely to re-sign with the Devils midseason, the possibility is there for the Devils to get him under contract once the year is over. Hall does not become a free agent until July 1, and though teams will have nearly a week to talk to him before he hits the open market, New Jersey could still re-sign Hall when the offseason rolls around.

Playing the waiting game could burn the Devils should Hall not re-sign with the team and instead walk in free agency. However, if Hall sees a future for himself in New Jersey long-term, waiting out the season to get a better deal is an option on the table if trade plans fall through or if the team bounces back down the line.

Hall walks as a free agent come July 1

The worst-case scenario for the Devils would be that the team holds onto Hall in an attempt to make the postseason, misses the playoffs entirely and then sees Hall head off into free agency without gaining anything in return. That scenario played out with the New York Islanders when John Tavares left for Toronto in 2018 and the team missed out on a playoff spot, a decision that hasn’t sunk the Islanders but no doubt stung in the short-term.

New Jersey faces a similar dilemma with one of the faces of their franchise this offseason. It’s entirely possible the Devils will hold onto their postseason hopes too late and that Hall has no interest in re-signing in New Jersey. Losing a high-quality player to free agency without gaining something in return is a hard pill to swallow, but it happens in today’s salary cap world.

The Devils, however, would no doubt love to add a piece or two to their team for Hall at the end of the day. Most of the 2019-20 season is still ahead, and things can no doubt change, but the Devils should already be thinking of how they’re going to handle Hall, as it seems the young forward will remain a pending free agent for the rest of the season.