The Edmonton Oilers have traded Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defenseman Adam Larsson, the teams announced Wednesday.
Despite initial speculation, this is a one-for-one trade with no other players or draft picks involved. ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that there is no retained salary in the deal.
The #Oilers have acquired defenceman Adam Larsson from the @NJDevils in exchange for forward Taylor Hall. pic.twitter.com/cmJqz7Do73
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) June 29, 2016
Larsson fulfills the right-shot defenseman need in Edmonton, and provides a top pairing player, even if he doesn’t necessarily fill their need for a defensive power play pilot. While Larsson is a good defender, he heads to Edmonton in exchange for one of the league’s best wingers. He’ll see increased pressure in Edmonton as he becomes “the player we got for Taylor Hall.”
Hall ranks third over the last four seasons in points per hour at even strength. Only Jamie Benn and Sidney Crosby score at a higher rate. By contrast, Larsson has the third worst Corsi percentage among Devils defenseman over the last three seasons. His shot suppression is good, and he’s just 23.
Larsson’s deal is team-friendly though. He’s on contract through 2021 with a $4.167 million AAV. Hall’s $6 million AAV over the next four seasons is also quite team-friendly considering his production.
With a winger headed, even with the arrival of Jesse Puljujarvi, the Oilers may be an active team during free agency in an attempt to fill the hole that losing Hall will leave in their forward group.
Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli has now traded away the number one and number two (Tyler Seguin) picks in the 2010 draft.
