A trade proposal suggests that the Toronto Maple Leafs could enhance their lineup by acquiring former MVP Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Toronto is currently in a prime position to contend for the Stanley Cup, yet they haven’t made significant changes to their forward group during the offseason. Given their struggles to score goals in the playoffs last season, adding Hall could address this issue.
PuckPedia, with its new PuckGM tool allowing users to craft their own trades, has seen a proposal where Hall is traded to the Maple Leafs.
Maple Leafs get:
The trade proposal involves the Toronto Maple Leafs acquiring Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks with $3 million of his salary retained.
The proposed trade is a one-for-one deal where the Toronto Maple Leafs would acquire Taylor Hall from the Chicago Blackhawks with $3 million of his salary retained, effectively making his cost $3 million for Toronto. This adjustment helps the Maple Leafs fit Hall under their cap. In return, the Blackhawks would receive a second-round pick, adding another high draft choice to aid their rebuilding efforts.
Hall is entering the final year of his contract, so a trade before the deadline seems probable, especially if Chicago is not in a playoff position. Trading him before then would allow the Blackhawks to secure an additional high draft pick while providing the Maple Leafs with a skilled forward to bolster their lineup.
Last season, Hall recorded 2 goals and 2 assists for 4 points in 10 games. The former first-overall pick won the MVP award in 2018.
Hall Dealt With Injuries Last season
Taylor Hall was limited to just 10 games last season due to a knee injury. He first injured his knee on November 9 but managed to play two more games before being sidelined for the rest of the season and undergoing knee surgery.
“He’s very disappointed,” said Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson. “It was an accumulation of minor injuries, and it became unstable to the point where it needed to be fixed.” Richardson added, “A minor play, like someone pulling him down, was one of the final issues. He tried to push through it, but catching a rut in practice was the tipping point.”
Chicago acquired Hall on June 26 from the Boston Bruins, along with Nick Foligno, in exchange for Ian Mitchell and Alec Regula.
Throughout his career, Hall has played for the Edmonton Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and Blackhawks.
Maple Leafs GM Said Team Still Has Work To Do
In free agency, the Toronto Maple Leafs concentrated on strengthening their defense and goaltending. They signed Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman-Larsson to enhance their blue line and added goalie Anthony Stolarz to form a tandem with Joseph Woll.
However, the team did not add a forward and lost Tyler Bertuzzi to Chicago. After the initial wave of free agency, Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving acknowledged that more work was needed.
“It’s July 1st, and we still have a lot of work to do,” Treliving stated. “We’ve made progress on some of our goals since the end of the season, but I’m not comparing today’s roster to what we ended the season with.”
As of now, the Maple Leafs have not made any moves to address their forward group ahead of their season opener on October 9 against the Montreal Canadiens.
