Edmonton Oilers: Do They Keep or Trade Taylor Hall

The Edmonton Oilers played a pretty stellar game Thursday against the St. Louis Blues. With that being said, Taylor Hall was one of the goal scorers. Recent discussion surrounding the Oilers alternative captain has been regarding rumors of attitude, leadership, behavior in the locker room and many other factors.

Additionally, there have been some rumors and reports that the Edmonton Oilers are going to shake up their entire roster once the offseason comes to an end, and that they will only keep Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid as those who are safe. With that being said, let’s discuss Taylor Hall and his future in Edmonton. Viewer discretion is advised, especially if you’re easily offended.

Taylor Hall’s Statistics

It hasn’t been a horrible season for Hall, whose 23 goals and 25 assists have given him an impressive 58 point campaign. However, as of late, those numbers have dipped.

Hall’s goal against St. Louis was his first goal in five games. Since McDavid’s return to the lineup Feb. 2, Hall has scored five goals and five assists. Hall had 32 points in the timespan that McDavid was injured, making up about half of his numbers. It seems that since Connor has returned to the spotlight, Hall’s production has let up a little.

Does this mean that Hall is envious of McDavid? No. Does it say something about Hall? Yes, it could. But it’s just a mere interesting observation in my mind.

Going into the All-Star break, prior to this recent dip in production, Hall was near the NHL lead in points and sat in fourth place. Now, he is tied for 19th in the league for scoring.

Will Hall Get the Captaincy?

I don’t think it’s likely that Taylor will get to wear the Captain’s C. With McDavid’s presence comes a sense of hope. It is clear that he is going to be part of the Oilers core and is the one who the locker room rallies around. Also, with his numbers and productivity, as well as his maturity and leadership, I think it will be McDavid who will wear the C next year, not Hall.

Trust me, I love Taylor Hall. I do. But there are times where I watch him during hockey games where he does not finish his checks or his scoring chances, and he does not work to follow through on opportunities. Sometimes, Hall appears lazy, and appears as if he doesn’t want to be in Edmonton. Through years, his frustration, especially with the team’s poor record, shows, and he even jokes about it. That is not what a leader should do.

Others do say that Hall is a great presence in the locker room, but with the way I see him on the ice, I begged a differ.

Roster Shake-Up

The Oilers are going to have to shake things up if they want to get a star defenseman and start to rebuild the team around McDavid and Draisaitl. This means that they need to evaluate their pieces and see who’s worth keeping and who can be let go of, especially if it means something great in return.

Yes, fans, one of our untouchables has to go if we want to get a star defender. As painful as it is to say or admit, it is unfortunately true. I like the idea of keeping Jordan Eberle, since he has been proven to play well with McDavid. There are many advocates who want to keep Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, and now, after watching him draw back into the lineup, I wouldn’t mind holding onto Nuge.

I think, though, that it will come down to dealing Nugent-Hopkins or Hall in the offseason. If Hall isn’t going to become captain (which again, I do not find it likely he wears the “C” at the end of this season), then he is not going to want to be in Edmonton. At least that’s what I believe.

Next: Edmonton Oilers: The Rise and Fall of Nail Yakupov

Hall’s numbers speak for himself as a great, elite NHL forward who plays a smart, skilled game. However, the return for Hall could mean a stud defenseman, and possibly more. What do you think, fans? Do you think that Taylor Hall should be traded, or would it just be a horrible mistake?

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