McKenzie: Oilers keeping options open on Hall trade; Hall "all-in" to stay
/Bob McKenzie was on Edmonton’s TSN 1260 on Friday morning.
On if Taylor Hall is on the verge of no longer being completely untouchable:
“I think that’s possible. I mean, there’s been no pronouncements of any kind from Craig MacTavish or anybody connected with the Edmonton Oilers.
“But I think what’s happened is from the moment when you realized the wheels were really falling off in December and we talked about all of these forensic audits of what’s gone on in the organization; I do believe that from top to bottom, behind the scenes of the Edmonton Oilers, they’ve spent countless hours going over how they conducted their business over the last number of years, the mistakes they’ve made, the strengths they’ve got, the assets they’ve got, the liabilities, everything. And now they’re putting in place a plan where they’re ready to move forward and see where they go with it. Now what that plan is, your guess is as good as mine.
“But I do know that, I’m led to believe, that teams are calling the Edmonton Oilers. They’re obviously asking about a number of players, but Taylor Hall’s name is obviously one that a lot of teams are calling up and saying, ‘Hey, would you seriously entertain trading this guy?’
“My understanding is the response those teams have gotten is, ‘We’re not saying yes. We’re not saying no. Let’s consider all our options.’
“So I think without saying something that somebody grabs a headline and says, ‘Taylor Hall...’ He’s not being shopped. They’re not calling teams up saying, ‘Hey, we’re trying to move Taylor Hall. What are you going to give us for him?’
“Teams that are calling have not been told, ‘Do not call back.’ And so we’ll see where it goes.
“I wonder where Taylor Hall’s psyche has been through this whole thing. Especially when there was that stretch where he was kind of getting thrown under the bus as being one of the guys that’s not fully on board, or difficult to deal with, or whatever.
“My sense seems to be he’s all-in with the Edmonton Oilers in terms of wanting to make something happen.
“And I do sense at the player level with Todd Nelson behind the bench right now that the players seem – and again, ‘relatively encouraged’ is the way I’d put it – that they think they’re putting some structure in place. That in spite of the games that they had last night, and that they’re on the right road that way.”
On how the Oilers are so bad that there should be no untouchables, and how whoever they land with this year’s top draft selection could afford the luxury of moving someone else out:
“Let’s be honest. If the Edmonton Oilers ever seriously consider trading Taylor Hall, there’s going to be quite a haul coming back. If you pardon the bad pun...
“But you’re right. I don’t think anybody in the Edmonton Oilers can afford to say, ‘No, we’re not doing this.’ Let’s at least hear what people have to say, and consider your options.
“The notion of Taylor Hall being traded between now and the trade deadline, I couldn’t even imagine that. But hey, listen, there’s teams out there that would love to have him, and they’ll make some calls and we’ll see where it goes from there.
“If – if – they were to consider such a notion, I think it’s probably more an offseason deal than an in-season deal, but again, don’t close any doors because right now, there shouldn’t be any doors being closed in Edmonton.”
Source: TSN 1260/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey
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