The No. 2 pick in the 2010 NHL draft, Tyler Seguin, already has been traded by the team that selected him. Could the top pick from that draft be on the move, too?
TSN’s Darren Dreger speculated Monday that Edmonton Oilers superstar Taylor Hall, the team’s best player and a top-five left winger in the league, could be “in play” before the trade deadline or around the 2015 NHL draft.
“It’s not one player,” Dreger said during a radio appearance on TSN 1050 in Toronto. “It’s the collection of players that make up a sagging work ethic and a lack of culture, but if you wanted to put a face on it or a name to it, that’d be Taylor Hall. Taylor Hall, at least again from a culture standpoint, more in the room, not necessarily on the ice, hasn’t been what they hoped he would be.
“When MacTavish looks into his crystal ball and tries to see what might come his way via trade, he’s got to be looking to the trade deadline and then beyond that obviously looking at the draft floor. Because if you’re moving a piece like Taylor Hall, and I believe that Taylor Hall will be in play, then the rate of return is always best when teams have flexibility in the summer.”
What would the Oilers want in return? Well, they need help at every position. Edmonton’s NHL roster has just two NHL-caliber centers, zero No. 1 defensemen and two goaltenders who will never be top-tier starters.
“The needs of the Edmonton Oilers is vast,” Dreger said. “Age-sensitive, absolutely. Has to fit in that dynamic. What you’re getting is what you need most, is that a young goalie? Probably. Is it a center? Is it a top-pairing defenseman? Any of the above.”
Trading a player of Hall’s caliber would be difficult for the Oilers, but he’s one of two players (the other being center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins) who would help the team acquire the most valuable assets to accelerate its rebuild.
The Oilers fired head coach Dallas Eakins on Monday, even though the move won’t solve any of the team’s core problems, many of which involve roster composition and drafting.
Edmonton sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings and tied for the worst record in the league with the Carolina Hurricanes at 19 points.
Thumbnail photo via Bob DeChiara/USA TODAY Sports Images
