Oilers' Hall on trade rumors: 'Everyone is going to be on watch'
In the wake of the firing of head coach Dallas Eakins, the players in Edmonton realize that general manager Craig MacTavish's next move is likely to come via trade.
It would appear that not even Taylor Hall - arguably the eternally struggling club's best player - is safe, and it's a reality he readily acknowledges.
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"I think everyone is going to be on watch, for sure," Hall told the Edmonton Sun. "There's always going to be rumors, especially when the team is not doing well. I just have to worry about being the best team player I can be, bringing the most to the team. It's on us to improve and to do whatever we can to get respectability back this year."
Hall added another coaching change - the club's fifth in six years - has him wondering what role he's played in the lack of success in Edmonton.
"I got drafted by the Oilers and I love the franchise, I love the city. Standing here, having a new coach again, really makes you look in the mirror and wonder what you've done wrong."
With eight goals and 10 assists in 25 games, Hall is well off pace to match the career-high 27 goals and 53 assists he hit a year ago. At the same time, he's one of the best and brightest young stars in the game, and a player any team would love to build around.
Time will tell if the trade talk is legitimate, or simply floated around to further motivate the young winger.