Trade speculation: Edmonton Oilers are “in on” Taylor Hall talks, says NHL insider

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This in from Doug McLean, former NHL GM, talking to CHED radio host Reid Wilkins, passing on some speculative trade scuttlebutt: “I also heard yesterday they’re in on the guy from Buffalo that everybody wants: Taylor Hall. I’m thinking: How is that going to work. How could Taylor Hall go there on a deal? The guy told me they’re looking at a deal that would have them both done for less than $12 million for both of them (Hall and RNH), and it would work next year…It was a reasonable source that said it.”

The Oilers could use another top winger in their Top 6, McLean said. “We’ll see if there’s anything to it. As they say in P.E.I., I’m not telling you it’s the truth, I’m just telling you what I heard.”

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On Ryan Nugent-Hopkins: “I’ve got to believe there’s a ton of conversation going on to get him redone so he doesn’t walk out the door for nothing… There’s not a chance he’s going to move but this is an unbelievable asset. If he doesn’t move Nugent-Hopkins, he definitely has got to get him on a deal for next year. The groundwork has got to be laid for that deal.:”

On Tyson Barrie: “Ken can’t move him simply because he needs him with a playoff run here. Same with Nugent-Hopkins…This is a situation where both these guys could walk out the door for nothing, but I got to believe Ken is going to do everything he can to get Barrie and Nugent-Hopkins done.”

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My take

1. Oilers GM Ken Holland gave numerous interviews on Tuesday where he played down the notion of the Oilers making a big move at the deadline, in part due to salary cap constraints, which are very real. To make a trade for a super expensive winger like Hall, the Oilers would have to move out a forward like Zack Kassian or James Neal, or move out goalie Mikko Koskinen, along with Edmonton’s first round pick.

2. There’s an astonishing amount of support for such a trade in Oil Country right now. Fans want this team to win. They see the Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl window is only open so long, and this year the Oil also have a No. 1 d-man in Darnell Nurse and a No. 1 goalie in Mike Smith. The spine of the team is there, it just needs support. Why got give McDavid and Draisaitl that support?