NHL rumors: Taylor Hall discussing new contract with Arizona Coyotes
The latest NHL rumors suggest you shouldn’t rule out the Arizona Coyotes re-signing Taylor Hall.
Taylor Hall of the Arizona Coyotes is in an interesting position. For just the second time in his NHL career, he’s playing past the regular season, as the Coyotes are in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He’s also scheduled to become a free agent after this season. According to the latest NHL rumors, he’s open to staying with the Coyotes.
This report is courtesy of Craig Custance from The Athletic. According to Custance, Hall is having discussions with the Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez. According to Elliotte Friedman, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has been involved in the discussions as well.
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It’s interesting that Gutierrez and Meruelo are the ones who seem to be in charge here. This suggests they are very serious about finding a way to keep Hall. Before this season, Hall was likely looking at a long-term deal. But due to a suboptimal season, his contract demands have likely dropped. Still, the Coyotes don’t have much cap space.
Also, it’s interesting because Hall’s agent Darren Ferris is adamant that negotiations won’t start until after the season. That has been his plan all along, but maybe those plans could change, especially considering how much the novel coronavirus pandemic has thrown a monkey wrench into the 2019-20 NHL season.
Could Hall perhaps sign a one-year deal? That would let him bypass what might be the most awkward free agency period of all-time and get another chance to earn a long-term deal. Of course, the salary cap ceiling likely won’t rise next summer, but at least by then, teams will have the chance to clear some space to sign him.
The Coyotes traded for Hall back in December. They got him from the New Jersey Devils, giving up Nick Merkley, Nathan Schnarr, Kevin Bahl, a 2020 conditional first-round pick, and a 2021 conditional third-round pick. If Arizona’s 2020 first-rounder is in the top three, the Devils will get their 2021 first-rounder instead. Should Hall re-sign with the Coyotes OR the Yotes win a playoff round, the third-rounder turns into a second-rounder. It’s a first-round pick if both happen.
This season, Hall had 52 points in 65 games, which isn’t bad, but it’s certainly not up to his usual standards. He won the Hart Trophy in 2017-18 after posting 39 goals and 93 points in 76 games, helping the Devils make the playoffs.
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The Coyotes would have to move out some cap space if they want to keep Hall. According to CapFriendly, they have under $2 million of cap space for next season. Hall could be the best free agent on the market, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to bet on himself with a one-year or two-year deal.