Rumor: Taylor Hall could be traded once again before the trade deadline.

A very interesting rumor.

HockeyFeed
HockeyFeed
Published 4 years ago
Rumor: Taylor Hall could be traded once again before the trade deadline.
Dom Gagne/CSM/Zuma

I must admit that this one has caught me by surprise, but when you take the time to really look at things it may not be all that far fetched. 

The Arizona Coyotes are having a pretty solid season, especially when taking in the context of their recent history, and currently find themselves inside the playoff picture. The Coyotes spot is far from guaranteed however and there are 3 teams that are hot on their heels at this stage of the season, the Chicago Blackhawks and the Winnipeg Jets are both within 3 points of the Coyotes while the Nashville Predators are just 4 points away at the time of this writing. 

All the more impressive is the fact that the Coyotes have managed to remain competitive in spite of significant injuries to their roster this season, including an injury to arguably the team's most valuable player in the former of Darcy Kuemper. Kuemper remains out in fact and should the Coyotes falter down the stretch they may choose to change their plans for the 2020 NHL trade deadline. In a recent article for The Hockey News, writer Matt Larkin expressed his belief that star forward Taylor Hall could end up shipped out of Arizona and traded prior to the trade deadline for the 2nd time already this season.

From Larkin:

What happens if the Desert Dogs continue to slump and sit outside the playoff picture in a few weeks? Suddenly, GM John Chayka would find himself sitting on the trade market’s No. 1 UFA rental option: Hall. It would surely be a painful move to make, but what if a team offered far more than what Chayka paid to get Hall?

Now I must admit that given the moves made by general manager John Chayka this season I do not suspect that he will be looking to be a seller. I mean after all he added not only Taylor Hall during the course of the 2019 - 2020 NHL regular season, but prior to the season he also went out and added star forward Phil Kessel to his roster in a trade with the Penguins. This signals to me that Chayka wants to make a deep run in the playoffs this season, but he is a shrewd general manager and if he feels his team is likely to be on the outside looking in I could definitely see him pulling the trigger.

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