Montreal Canadiens
Are the Montreal Canadiens Looking at Taylor Hall?
There could be mututal intereste between Taylor Hall and the Montreal Canadiens and the winger could become an option in free agency.
“If we talk about destinations, I can certainly build a case for the Montreal Canadiens … I can,” TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger said Friday morning.
While speaking on Montreal’s TSN 690 Radio, Dreger noted that the Canadiens need scoring and showing they aren’t afraid to spend some money to fix holes they’ve identified on their roster — they acquired Jake Allen this week –, acquiring Hall would be nothing more than convincing the winger the Canadiens can win, that he’d enjoy the experience and then writing a cheque.
Dreger added:
“The Arizona Coyotes have been persistent in expressing their interest in keeping Taylor Hall with the Coyotes. There was another conference call this week with agent Darren Ferris and I believe that the club was looking for a counter-offer from what they originally presented.”
In short, while the two sides are still talking, it doesn’t sound like the Coyotes and Hall’s agents are getting very far in their negotiations. Dreger called the talks still preliminary conversations and that the Coyotes shouldn’t necessarily be ruled out. He admitted Hall is likely to get the most money from the Coyotes if that’s his priority. After all, they can offer more term than any other team.
But there will be lots of teams interested in Hall’s services. And, the Coyotes have a ton of other on-ice and off-ice issues and Dreger believes the Canadiens may be a more attractive destination.
Why the Canadiens?
From a Canadiens perspective, interest in Hall seems logical. As Stu Cowan noted, ‘Their last 40-goal scorer was Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94 and the only Canadiens players to hit the 30-goal mark in the last 10 years are Erik Cole, Alex Galchenyuk, Max Pacioretty and Brendan Gallagher.’ In other words, the need is clearly there.
From a Hall perspective, perhaps he sees a plus side to considering the Canadiens. “I think Taylor would be interested…” Dreger continued. Adding that Hall likes playing in that environment, “He enjoyed his time in Edmonton. He’s not afraid of the media and all of those things.”
That’s important in a market like Montreal where every play, mistake and comment are heavily scrutinized. There’s a ton of responsibility is thrust upon players. That’s not something all players are built to handle and more than a few Canadiens have been run out of the city in their time.
But, playing in a hockey-mad market also has its advantages. When you play well, as Dreger noted, “Markets in Canada are fun when you know what you’re getting into.” Meaning, if Hall plays well, he’ll become a folk hero in no time at all.
There are some interesting options that would present themselves if Hall wound up in a Habs uniform. With young and blossoming centers who could be beneficial to Hall’s game as a winger, his production might increase out of the gate.
Again, the Canadiens are just one of the team’s that might make a move here. But, they could have as good a chance as any organization, maybe even better.
Next: Insider Suggests Demko Stole Job, Canucks To Move On From Markstrom
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