New Jersey Devils trade Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes

Taylor Hall is headed to Arizona Coyotes as the New Jersey Devils complete their trade of the forward before the NHL’s holiday roster freeze.

The Taylor Hall saga in New Jersey is over, as the Devils have traded the 28-year-old forward to the Arizona Coyotes, the team announced on Monday. The Devils are also sending 22-year-old forward prospect Blake Speers to Arizona as well with the deal. Coming back to New Jersey will be the Coyotes’ conditional 2020 first round pick, a conditional 2021 third round pick, plus prospects Nick Merkley, Kevin Bahl and Nate Schnarr.

The Devils will also retain 50 percent of Hall’s $6 million cap hit this season. Arizona’s 2020 first round pick is lottery protected this season, with the condition that it becomes a 2021 first round pick if the Coyotes finish in the top three of the draft lottery. The 2021 conditional third round pick will upgrade to a second if the Coyotes win a playoff round or if Hall re-signs in Arizona. The pick will upgrade to a first if Hall re-signs and the Coyotes win a playoff round.

Hall has the rest of the 2019-20 NHL season remaining on a seven-year, $42 million deal signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012. On July 1, Hall will become a free agent if he does not re-sign with the Coyotes at the end of this contract.

This season, Hall has 25 points in 30 games played, overall no where close to his career high of 93 points he had during the 2017-18 season when he won the Hart Trophy for the league’s most valuable player. Hall had been on the trade block for the majority of the 2019-20 NHL season as the Devils have underperformed as the league’s second-worst team this year.

New Jersey fired head coach John Hynes in early December in an attempt to salvage their season, but the Devils’ playoff hopes were non-existent even before trading Hall away. Moving on from one of their top stars in Hall only signifies the Devils’ as a seller this year in the midst of a disappointing season.

Hall will join a Coyotes team that is sitting atop the Pacific Division with a 19-12-4 record and 42 points on the season. Arizona has quietly been having a solid season, but had been missing an offensive jolt in their lineup that Hall will no doubt provide them. With Hall as the team’s centerpiece, the Coyotes are lined up to take a real shot at a deep playoff run.

As for the Devils, general manager Ray Shero seems to be banking on New Jersey’s window staying open in the future. With a pair of draft picks and three prospects, the Devils are loading up for the future after Hall’s departure as the team has issues of their own to fix.

With Bahl, a defensive prospect, and forward prospects Merkley and Schnarr, the Devils have restocked their cupboards a bit with some youth help for the team’s future. New Jersey’s window to win immediately may have closed, but the team has restocked their prospect pool and added a pair of high draft picks to the mix.

The Coyotes are set to face the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday evening, where Hall could play his first game in an Arizona sweater.