The hockey world was buzzing over the weekend when the New Jersey Devils announced left wing Taylor Hall would be held out of the lineup for “precautionary” reasons, amidst rising speculation a trade involving the star winger was imminent. The weekend has passed and despite a few false flags, Hall has yet to be dealt.
While hockey analysts and insiders confirmed talks have escalated between the New Jersey Devils and other teams, reasons for the holdup reportedly range from General Manager Ray Shero being dissatisfied with offers, the possibility Shero might have played his cards too early by leveraging proposed packages from other teams to get a more bountiful return, or playing the “mystery team” card, a bluff (if that’s the case) that appears to have been largely called by Hall’s suitors.