Carolina Hurricanes

Ex-Oilers Taylor Hall’s NHL Journey Was Up, Down and Surprise?

Taylor Hall’s NHL career took plenty of twists and turns after leaving Edmonton. Looking back, the ex-Oiler’s story is fascinating.

by
Old Prof
August 16, 2026

Taylor Hall is one of those NHL stories where you can’t just sum it up with one “from hype to legend” line. It’s been up, it’s been down, and it’s been a little weird in the best way. And if you’ve ever watched him play and thought, “Man, there’s a superstar in there somewhere,” you weren’t imagining it.

Taylor Hall Was a Deal When He Was Drafted by the Oilers

Hall came into the league as a big-time deal. First overall pick by the Oilers in 2010, supposed to be the face of the franchise. He had the speed, the skill, the highlight-reel finishes. He was everything you want in a franchise guy. And he was good in Edmonton. Really good at times. But the team around him was a mess for years, and Hall never fully turned into the consistent “always great” guy the Oilers needed. Eventually, in 2016, Edmonton decided they wanted defence more than another high-end forward. The move? Hall for Adam Larsson. Oilers fans still bring that trade up like it still hurts.

Then came New Jersey, and for a while it felt like everything finally clicked. Hall looked like the star everyone thought he’d be. In 2017-18 he put up 93 points, helped pull a mediocre Devils team into the playoffs, and won the Hart Trophy. That season felt like the real arrival—the “okay, THIS is the Hall we drafted” moment. But then injuries and inconsistency started messing with the rhythm, and eventually the Devils moved on.

Former Oilers Taylor Hall lifts the Stanley Cup

Things Went Downhill for Hall Before He Landed with the Hurricanes

After that, it got messy. Arizona, Buffalo, Boston, Chicago—good stretches mixed with quiet ones. You’d watch him and think, “There’s still something left,” but the full dominance just didn’t consistently show up again. And then Carolina happened.

Hall got traded there mid-season in 2024-25, and it honestly felt like it just clicked for him. He wasn’t trying to be the top-line superstar anymore—he was more of a smart veteran winger with skill, brains, and still enough speed to make things happen. Last season he played 80 games, put up 48 points, and really got going in the playoffs. Nineteen points in 19 games, clutch moments in the biggest situations, and boom—Stanley Cup. At 34, on his seventh team, he finally got his ring.

Hall’s career doesn’t look like the straight-line superstar path people expected in 2010. It’s messier than that. But somehow, it’s also way more interesting. Almosts, what-ifs, and then one last run where everything finally clicked.