Taylor Hall started a new chapter with the New Jersey Devils last summer when the Edmonton Oilers traded him away in a one-for-one swap for Adam Larsson. Though Hall has been trying to turn the page on his past, he’s clearly still aware of what the Oilers are up to and may have been a bit happy to see his old team finally knocked out of the playoffs.
The main quote from Hall comes at the very beginning of this interview with Sportsnet:
If you missed it, or can’t watch the video above, Hall said:
“I wouldn’t say I wanted them to lose, but it was nice to finally see them maybe get eliminated.”
That’s a refreshingly honest take from a player about his old team. He’s clearly trying to be careful with what he says, but he can’t resist admitting that it was nice to see his old team fall short of a Cup win.
Hall added:
“It’s a tough thing to describe to people. I think there’s been enough time that’s passed since the trade has happened that you finally just kind of … it is what it is now, and I’m a Devil, and I’m excited to see what we can do next season.”
He also went on to say that he’s excited for training camp and is happy he’s playing in New Jersey. Those aren’t groundbreaking quotes, but they show that Hall seems genuinely happy where he’s playing and is excited to be past all of the drama he experienced with the Oilers.
Hall is coming off of a 20-goal season in 2016-17 and is hoping to help lift the Devils out of the basement of the Eastern Conference in 2017-18.
