The New Jersey Devils have a lot of work to do this summer to improve their team. It all starts with keeping Taylor Hall around with a long-term extension.
The New Jersey Devils have taken a significant step back from the 2017-18 season. After making the postseason, they did very little to improve during the summer as general manager Ray Shero stuck to their rebuild. This season, the Devils have unofficially been eliminated from the postseason. There are multiple reasons for their decline, but the biggest one has been the absence of Taylor Hall.
Their star forward hasn’t been playing thanks to an injury. The team’s silence on the matter is a bit suspicious, but to be fair, Hall playing would probably just hurt their chances of winning the draft lottery. They need him healthy.
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If the Devils want to reverse what the past few months have done, figuring out Hall’s future is a must. Because he is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2019-20 season, he will be eligible to sign a long-term extension on July 1. Every champion needs at least one star. Hall is the Devil’s star.
Why Signing Him Is Important
It’s been a while since people have taken the Devils seriously. They’re a team who rarely spends to the cap ceiling and fans know this. Fans are rightfully frustrated about this. The Hall trade finally gave them what they’ve been hoping for – an offensive star who can carry the team.
Not signing him long-term would be crippling to the franchise. It would make it even harder to persuade free agents to come to the Devils without significantly overpaying them. Even keeping their own players around long-term would become a much more difficult task.
Meanwhile, the fans would have to see arguably the most talented forward they’ve ever had depart. It would be soul crushing for them to watch the only player in franchise history to win a Hart Trophy leave.
Persuading Him To Stay
Now, getting Hall to stay likely won’t be as easy as tossing money at him. He’s going to get paid a ton of money regardless of what happens. Hall has only been to the Stanley Cup Playoffs once as a player. So he’ll likely want to see a commitment from the Devils to improve their team.
Entering the summer, the team will have at least $28 million in salary cap before factoring in the salary cap ceiling rise. More importantly, the Devils will be working with a fairly clean slate – 17 of their players are already signed through next season.
Will Butcher, Pavel Zacha, Stefan Noesen, Mirco Mueller, and Connor Carrick will need new deals. They’ll likely start talking to Nico Hischier about an extension after July 1. But other than those guys, the Devils don’t have to worry about anything else.
Armed with cap space and extra draft picks, New Jersey has the resources necessary to make moves to improve their team. Hall will expect them to do so.
What Will His Extension Look Like?
Hall has asserted himself as one of the NHL’s elite wings. Looking at how his left-wing peers are paid, the starting point is most likely Jamie Benn‘s $9.5 million average annual value over eight years. Assuming Hall signs an extension in the summer, he’ll be a full year younger than Benn when he signed his deal in 2016.
Another thing to consider is cap hit percentage, which is a good way of adjusting cap hits to the rising salary cap. Benn’s cap hit percentage at the time of his deal was 13.1 percent. If the cap ceiling is $82 million in 2019-20, this would give Hall an average annual value of $10.742 million.
The Devils should expect him to sign for no less than $10.5 million per season and he’s arguably worth more than $11 million. Also, Hall will most likely want some form of no-trade protection, seeing as how the last time he didn’t request it, he got traded.
Signing Him Is A Must
New Jersey can’t afford to not re-sign Hall. He gave the Devils the hope they’ve been looking for. Even if they manage to trade him and get a massive package in return, anytime you trade someone like Hall, you take a step back. The Devils have a chance to change their perception around the league by keeping their superstar around long-term. They better not blow it.