Since the Arizona Coyotes acquired Taylor Hall back in December, there's been plenty of talk that the team may try to flip him again before the trade deadline. Arizona is not currently in a playoff spot and Hall will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, meaning the team could end up losing him with no return whatsoever. Despite that, TSN Insider Pierre LeBrun says the Coyotes have no plans to flip Hall and are, in fact, already in talks with his agent regarding a long-term extension.
"The reality is, (Arizona) owner Alex Meurelo, GM John Chayka and Taylor Hall's agent Darren Ferris all sat down for dinner Sunday night in Montreal, they are all on the same page as to where this is headed right now, which is we'll talk after this season," said LeBrun on Insider Trading. "Meurelo really wants to sign Taylor Hall. The Coyotes haven't had a player of this calibre in a long time. They can offer him an eight-year deal, which no one else can offer. And yeah, there's a risk because they're not in a playoff spot, but they're happy to live with that risk."
Hall is a former Hart Trophy winner as the league MVP (2018) and has been named an NHL All-Star five times. Since being traded to Arizona, he's recorded eight goals and 20 points with the team in 24 games. He has 14 goals and 45 points in 54 games this season. He's currently on the last year of a seven-year deal that paid him $6 million per season. It's a given that he'll want a raise to sign a long-term contract but just how much he'll command remains to be seen.
Hall, 28, had his best season in 2017-18, notching 93 points in in 76 games with New Jersey. Outside of that, he's hit 80 points in a season once, but is more consistently around a 60+ points player.
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