NHL trade rumors: Colorado Avalanche favorites to acquire Taylor Hall
According to the latest NHL trade rumors, many in the hockey industry consider the Colorado Avalanche to be the most likely team to trade for New Jersey Devils star Taylor Hall.
Two seasons after the John Tavares sweepstakes and a season after the Erik Karlsson sweepstakes, the Taylor Hall sweepstakes are here. According to the latest NHL trade rumors, various teams, including the Arizona Coyotes, have expressed interest in acquiring the soon-to-be free agent. But many in the industry consider the Colorado Avalanche to be the favorites to trade for the New Jersey Devils star forward.
On the latest edition of Sportsnet’s Saturday Headlines segment, insider Chris Johnston had this to say.
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“The feeling in the industry is that the Avalanche are the favorites right now”, said Johnston, via Sportsnet, “pushing to try and get Taylor Hall perhaps as soon as the Christmas break, which starts Dec. 19”.
This contradicts what Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said during a recent interview with Pierre LeBrun from The Athletic (subscription required). In that interview, he said he’d like to see how the Avalanche look as a completely healthy team before making any outside acquisitions.
It is, however, worth noting the Avs recently got back Mikko Rantanen and Gabriel Landeskog. Both forwards missed roughly a month after they both went down in late October. So Sakic has gotten to see his team mostly healthy, though they still have several players injured.
The Avalanche are likely considered to be the favorites to trade for Hall for several reasons. First of all, they’re definitely Stanley Cup contenders. Secondly, Hall would be a huge upgrade for the Avalanche and he’d give them a bit more flexibility with their forward lines. Thirdly, the Avs have enough cap space to take on his contract without making the Devils retain any salary. Fourthly, the Avalanche have one of the NHL’s deepest prospect pools.
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If the trade is going to be made soon, one has to think the Avalanche are willing to include 2019 first-round pick Bowen Byram in the deal. Otherwise, why would the trade happen before the deadline? Byram is considered by many to be one of the premier defensive prospects after being selected with the fourth overall pick.
My guess is there will also be a draft pick involved. It will probably be a second-round pick since Mark Stone got the Ottawa Senators a top defensive prospect and a second-round pick at the 2019 trade deadline.
The Devils, however, will most likely ask for at least one conditional first-round pick, and potentially two. This is pure speculation, but I’m guessing the second-round pick could turn into a first-round pick if the Avalanche make the Stanley Cup Final (or if they win the Stanley Cup). Additionally, there’s likely going to be a conditional first-round pick, contingent on the Avs re-signing Hall.
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If the Devils trade Hall this early, it’s fair to assume the Avalanche are including Byram in the deal. It will be interesting to see if other teams decide to jump on the bidding. Of course, this could just be a smokescreen from the Devils to see if other teams will increase their bids.