We had dreams of Bowen Byram or Philip Broberg. We thought that Vincent Trocheck and Spencer Knight could be coming to New Jersey. There were rumblings that Ray Shero was working to get Connor Timmins or something of serious value. Instead, the New Jersey Devils traded Taylor Hall to the Arizona Coyotes for Kevin Bahl, Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr, along with a 2020 1st-round pick and a conditional 2021 3rd-round pick.
It is a “haul” that looks rough on paper. The Devils didn’t get their defenseman of the future, and they weren’t able to get an NHL player that can replace at least a little of what they were losing in Hall.