HALL HOPING FOR TRADE SAGA TO END

TORONTO, ON -- Taylor Hall’s going to be traded. It’s going to happen. The New Jersey Devils are going to deal him to another team. But we’re still waiting. And Hall’s getting anxious.

Hall – like many of us – was under the impression a trade would happen before the end of the weekend. He even began to make arrangements for an expected move. It’s now Monday morning (at the time this piece was published), and he’s still a member of the Devils.

The 2018 NHL MVP has been left waiting for the inevitable, and I can only imagine how irritating that is.

A trade with the Arizona Coyotes was believed to be extremely close as of Saturday late-afternoon when I reported the ‘Yotes were the frontrunners to acquire him. They’re still very much in play, but still no deal – not yet.

When Hall joined his current teammates on a flight back to New Jersey after their 2-1 win over the Coyotes Saturday night, frustration began to set in. Not because he wasn’t dealt yet. Because he was forced to sit out two games. I don’t blame him, but I don’t blame the Devils for taking precautions.

The holiday roster freeze kicks in at midnight, local time, Dec. 19. Before news got out on Friday that a deal could be near, the Devils’ internal preference was to get this matter resolved before the freeze took effect. As negotiations intensified, it looked like a move was coming quicker than they expected. Fast forward a few days and Devils GM Ray Shero is still trying to work his magic.

With the Coyotes presumably still leading the pack, the St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Florida Panthers, Edmonton Oilers and one or two other clubs have remained in the mix to varying degrees leading up to and/or over the weekend. Some teams believed, as of Saturday, they were out of race. Did one or more re-engage? I’m not sure.

Florida did, however, cause a bit of a stir when forwards Henrik Borgstrom and Aleksi Heponiemi weren’t in the lineup for the Springfield Thunderbirds’ game Saturday night. That fueled speculation; though, as of Saturday afternoon, I was under the impression, based on what I had been told, the Panthers were one of the club’s no longer in contention.

The Panthers, meanwhile, told The Athletic’s George Richards Borgstrom was day-to-day with an undisclosed injury. He must’ve healed up quickly because he was back in the lineup Sunday afternoon.

So, as we, and Hall, continue to wait, the ball seems to be firmly in Shero’s court. How much longer will the Coyotes wait? What about the Blues, or the other clubs pushing to acquire the 28-year-old winger?

Whenever a deal happens, the mindset of the team acquiring him is that they are getting their hands on a top tier rental. Hall’s an unrestricted free agent at season’s end and he will, at the very least, hear what teams have to say during the talking period ahead of July 1. Will the acquiring team gain the advantage of having him around for 45+ games this season? You know, get used to a new team, new city, new environment – all that jazz. Sure, and that’s why there’s expected to be some level of conditions attached to a trade. But he’s hearing teams out in the summer, that much appears clear.

Hall wouldn’t mind getting this situation over with and turning to the next chapter of his career. The Devils prefer to a deal done by the freeze. The Coyotes would like for him to be wearing their jersey for their game on Tuesday in San Jose. To quote Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, “You can't always get what you want.”

The wait continues.