A Devils Trade to Reunite with Taylor Hall is a No-Brainer

Make no mistake about it. The New Jersey Devils will be buying at the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline, and perhaps even sooner than that. They finally worked their way out of the loss column on Monday, taking a 3-2 victory over the Seattle Kraken at Climate Pledge Arena following a four-game losing streak. Despite the win, scoring issues remain, specifically with their depth. A recent report highlighted what it would cost to reunite an old friend in a Devils trade, and it’s a no-brainer to help improve their depth.

According to Scott Powers of The Athletic, Chicago Blackhawks forward Taylor Hall won’t cost all that much to acquire. Further, he’s the likeliest player to be on the move to a contending team. Look no further than the Devils, who sit in second place in the Metropolitan Division and are likely playoff-bound.

The Devils’ depth scoring hasn’t been all that great, and they could certainly use a boost. Hall is a prime Devils trade candidate to fit the bill.

READ: Devils Trade Chatter; Tom Fitzgerald in San Jose, Concern Over Scoring

According to Powers, “There’s a slight chance the Blackhawks can get a second-round pick for Hall, but most league sources I spoke to believed a third-round pick was more likely. The Blackhawks could boost Hall’s value by retaining half of his $6 million salary cap hit.”

It’s important to keep in mind that if the Devils make a move for Hall, they’re not getting the former MVP player who dragged New Jersey to the playoffs in the spring of 2018.

Still, as Power indicated, Hall is still producing at a 20-goal pace (eight goals, 21 points in 39 games) with the Blackhawks. There’s plenty of reason to believe that Hall would produce at a higher rate on a better structured team like the Devils.

The thing that makes acquiring Hall a no-brainer is the cost of acquisition. The small cost of a third-round pick to add 20-plus goals to the Devils lineup is too good to pass up on. And even if Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson squeezes a second-round pick out of the Devils, they own three this year anyway. Forking one over to bring in Hall’s services to bolster the lineup is certainly a no-brainer.

Now, the Devils are currently projected to have $7,524,435 in NHL trade deadline cap space. That’s plenty of money to absorb Hall’s expiring $6 million cap hit and still have some money left over. If the Devils are looking for Chicago to eat some of Hall’s salary, they still have the assets to work with in order to make it all work.

Perhaps Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald could even put together an enticing enough package to bring in multiple players. Regardless, after learning the cost acquisition to bring in the ex-Devils forward, a Hall reunion makes too much sense. Whether Hall skates alongside the likes of Jack Hughes or Nico Hischier in the top-six, or man’s the third line, exploring a Devils trade should certainly be at the top of the to-do list this trade season.

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