The Devils were in a tough spot on the Taylor Hall trade, and everyone in the league knew it.
The team basically had no incentive to keep him, since he was likely to test free agency anyway, and those two issues alone depressed his value. So did the fact that he missed a lot of time last season. So did the fact that he’s having an off year. So did the fact that he’s 28 and looking to sign a long-term deal with what will likely be an AAV north of $10 million.
And so the Devils, in the end, got relatively little for Taylor Hall with 50 percent salary retained: Neither of Arizona’s top two prospects, and their No.