It was a busy – and interesting – offseason for the Edmonton Oilers bringing in Milan Lucic and Adam Larsson and getting rid of one of the former faces of their franchise in Taylor Hall. As surprising as it was, the Oilers brass stood behind the move and Hall started on the road to a fresh start in New Jersey.
“I was there for six seasons, so you develop a relationship with the team, the city and the fans,” said Hall according to Chris Ryan of NJ.com. “I’m disappointed that I’m not going to be able to see that through, but I’m excited that I’m going to play for a team that wants me. It’s not that Edmonton didn’t want me, but I certainly do feel a bit slighted by the whole thing.”
Hall was originally the first overall pick for the Edmonton Oilers in 2010 and spent his first six NHL seasons in Edmonton. He collected 328 points (132g-196a) over 381 regular season games with the Oilers but never saw a playoff game.
Since his departure, former teammate Oscar Klefbom had an interview with Swedish media that was misinterpreted calling out the former Oiler before he quickly back-pedalled and reference the lack of success from the entire Oiler franchise during Hall’s stint with Edmonton.
[ALSO: What Did Oscar Klefbom Really Say About Taylor Hall?]
Now, Hall is being asked if he’d ever return to Edmonton. Chances are you won’t be surprised by his answer either. Ranked 17th on the franchise’s all-time list in points, Hall said he will likely never return to the team that drafted him and then traded him six years later.
“I think that I gave it a good run and I don’t have any regrets about what happened,” said Hall on Edmonton’s TSN 1260. “I certainly think that I’m focused on what I can do in Jersey. It’s so far away, but I don’t think – maybe something comes up and I’ll change my mind, but I don’t think that – I did my time there, and it’s time to move on.”
Along with ranking 17th on the Oilers’ all-time points list, Hall ranks 15th in goals (132), 14th in assists (196), 11th in power play goals (39), 12th in game-winning goals (22) and 16th with 0.86 points per game in an Oilers jersey.