Our Sources Tell Us: Should the Hurricanes make a play for Taylor Hall?

Our Sources Tell Us is an occasional series where we explore potential trades involving the Carolina Hurricanes.

A star winger averaging 0.9 points per game throughout his career and an MVP in his trophy cabinet? Sounds enticing, right?

Taylor Hall’s name has become a mainstay in the rumor mill this season as the New Jersey Devils have continued their slide despite a productive off-season, adding pieces like P.K. Subban and Wayne Simmonds while adding a number one overall pick in Jack Hughes. All these moves were an effort to keep Hall in New Jersey as he plays this season with the understanding he’ll be heading to free agency come July 1st. The moves haven’t panned out the way the Devils expected, and now Hall is on the trading block, a virtual certainty to be moved before the February trade deadline.

But one thing is for certain: the Carolina Hurricanes should stay far away from him and not look to acquire Hall.

Financially, the move doesn’t make sense for the Hurricanes. Hall carries a $6 million cap hit, and the Hurricanes don’t have that much cap space, so acquiring Hall would leave them even tighter to the cap and likely to be shorthanded in manpower. In a move for a player like Hall, the thought process is normally to acquire the player in an early deal to accommodate time for a negotiation toward a longer-term deal. The Hurricanes’ cap situation doesn’t make that timeframe possible.

Also, for the Hurricanes, acquiring (and presumably signing) Hall doesn’t make sense with the contract extensions to come in the next few seasons. Even with the cap expected to rise again next season, Andrei Svechnikov, Martin Necas and Dougie Hamilton are all due extensions within the next few years. With Hall now at 28 years old, and turning 29 in the first year of his new extension, Hall’s age doesn’t align with the core of the Hurricanes and it’s always complicated when signing players to long-term deals when closer to their 30s than their 20s.

That said, asset wise, the Hurricanes could likely make a deal work. With multiple picks in next year’s draft if the Maple Leafs opt not to keep theirs, a first round pick is likely where it starts with the Devils, if not multiple. New Jersey will likely want an arm and a leg, but logistically the Hurricanes could provide. Carolina could entice with additional picks in the first three rounds this coming draft.

As far as players are concerned, the Devils could look to add help on the back end and the Hurricanes have plenty of prospects that could entice New Jersey. The Hurricanes ‘stacked defense may keep some of its current prospects like Jake Bean and Chase Priskie in the minors or on the fringes of the NHL squad. These could be enticing for the Devils. A roster player like Ryan Dzingel would also have to head the other way.

But that is too large of a price to pay for a player that could be a rental piece and seek a long-term deal elsewhere. Outside of a stellar 93-point campaign and another campaign in which he put up 80 points, Hall has averaged around 50 points in seven other seasons. Hall will likely seek $8-$10 million on his next deal, up from the current $6 million he currently makes.

While it’s understandable to drool at the thought of Taylor Hall on a power play unit with talented forwards like Teuvo Teravainen, Sebastian Aho and Andrei Svechnikov, the price is just too big for a player that the Hurricanes could still survive without. Hall will go somewhere, but it shouldn’t be to the Hurricanes.