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Devils GM planning to meet with Hall's agent on West Coast swing

Andy Marlin / National Hockey League / Getty

New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero and Taylor Hall's agent Darren Ferris are planning to sit down at some point during the club's western Canada road trip this week.

It will mark the first face-to-face meeting between Shero and Ferris since training camp.

"Ray and I connect regularly," Ferris told NHL.com's Mike Morreale in a text message. "I will be at the games out west and I am sure we will connect at some point during this time."

Hall is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent at season's end, but Shero is hoping to sign the former Hart Trophy winner to an extension.

"I know they're supposed to meet but I'm not sure when it will exactly happen," Hall said Monday. "I think I'll definitely talk to Darren beforehand and just chat about how things are going. But at this point in time, there's not much that Darren and I haven't really talked about. We both know what the situation is and we're just kind of waiting to see what transpires over the next couple weeks, month, or couple months."

Shero was busy this offseason, trading for P.K. Subban and Nikita Gusev, and bringing in Wayne Simmonds via free agency. The club also nabbed Jack Hughes with the top pick in the 2019 draft. With a revamped roster, Shero was hoping the Devils would return to the postseason, which, in theory, could help persuade Hall to stay.

However, a 3-5-4 start has the Devils sitting last in the Metropolitan Division with 10 points.

If the Devils don't improve and aren't able to agree to an extension with Hall, Shero may be forced to shop the superstar at the trade deadline - something he didn't consider a year ago.

Hall, who has just five career playoff games under his belt, has played his part so far this season, tallying 12 points in as many games.

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