Could Taylor Hall rumors change Devils 1st round pick to Kakko
There are rumblings out there that Taylor Hall may want out of NJ. According to David Pagnotta of the Fourth Period, Hall may be looking at free agency when his contract expires.
Hall looking for way out of NJ?
This report was also backed up by Mike Morreale of NHL.com but quotes from the Devils GM, Shero and Hall’s agent seem to strike down Pagnotta’s conclusions.
“No idea where [the website] got that from aside from a ‘source,'” Shero said in a text message. “Nothing on our end has changed and I have never heard differently from Taylor or Darren Ferris.”
Ray Shero
Ferris said, “I’m not going to speak to it because it’s all fictitious and I’m just not going to respond to any of those questions out of respect to the conversations and discussions that are going on.”
Darren Ferris
Does This Impact NJ’s Thinking at the Draft?
The consensus before this rumor came out was that NJ would take Jack Hughes with the first overall selection. Taylor Hall would thrive with a young center like Hughes and they have skated with each other in the past. Still it will take some time for Hughes to adjust and the Devils to compete. Now if we believe there is even a ring of truth to this rumor, then maybe the Devils look at the much bigger and more NHL ready Kaapo Kakko.
As to why Hall would want to leave, one could assume after spending his entire career in small market cities like Edmonton and NJ, Hall could be longing for brighter lights. Or Hall would love to play fo this hometown, Calgary Flames. This is all speculation, just like Pagnotta’s assertion that Hall wants out of NJ because he’s not interested in signing an extension now.
Ultimately, even if Hall wants to leave I do not believe it will change Shero’s desire to draft Jack Hughes. So Rangers fans that have already preordered their Kakko 24 jersey should feel safe with that purchase.
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