NHL Notebook: the Edmonton Oilers traded Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson on this day in 2016, Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Jack Quinn out 4-6 months, and more
10 months ago
On this day in 2016, the Edmonton Oilers traded former star Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils to acquire defenceman Adam Larsson.
Taylor Hall is on the move once again after being traded to the Chicago Blackhawks alongside Nick Foligno on Monday, sending Ian Mitchell and Alex Regula to the Boston Bruins. Before there was Boston, there was Buffalo; before Buffalo, there was Arizona; before Arizona, there was New Jersey; before that, there was the City of Champions, where Taylor Hall first made his first steps on NHL ice.
When the Oilers acquired Hall in the 2010 draft, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that he would remain in Edmonton for a long time until he didn’t. Hall was the first of a four-year first-overall pick streak the Oilers claimed at the NHL Draft from 2010-2015, and he was great. He was a leading goal scorer and was selected to play in the 2015-16 All-Star game. He played in 381 games scoring 132 goals and 328 points while sporting the role of alternate captain for four of his six years in Alberta’s capital. He made a dynamic duo with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and watched the McDavid era come to life, then came one of those unique one-for-one deals that gave the Oilers Larsson.
Hall came out blazing, with the Devils scoring 20 goals and 53 points in his first year. In his second season with New Jersey, Hall became a Hart trophy winner, scoring 39 goals and 93 points, the highest in his NHL career.
From there, it became a slippery slope for Hall as he slid down to playing only 33 games in 2018-19 due to a frustrating knee injury. In 2019-2020 after only 30 games, he was traded to the Arizona Coyotes, where he played the remaining 35 games scoring 10 goals and 33 points. He would become a free agent when the Coyotes’ season came to a close, deciding to test the waters he signed with the Buffalo Sabres. In another injury-plagued 2020-21 season, he played 37 games with two goals and 19 points before being traded to the Bruins.
Last year the forward finally began to find his stride again. However, he wouldn’t hit or even come close to his career-high season in 2017-18. He scored 20 goals and 61 points in 81 games, the most games the left wing had played since 2015-16.
Now, fans will witness the forward play in yet another new colour of threads this season with the Blackhawks. It appears to be a salary dump for the Bruins as Hall still has two years left on his four-year $6 million per season deal; Mitchell and Regula will be unrestricted free agents.
It’s safe to say we all still look at Hall as an Oiler at heart, but on this day seven years ago, the organization let him go.
Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Jack Quinn out for 4-6 months
After suffering an Achilles injury, Buffalo Sabres prospect Jack Quinn may miss up to six months following a successful surgery to repair the tear.
Quinn just started to start his NHL career this past season with a solid rookie debut. In 75 games, the forward scored 14 goals and 37 points, establishing himself as an offensive threat in the Sabres’s top six. His incredible poise was noticeable as his ability to make plays on the ice was strong, alongside his agility.
Just one day before Buffalo was gearing up to gather prospects at the 2023 NHL Draft, they received the news that Quinn had torn his Achilles while participating in off-season workouts, as per Elliotte Friedman reported.
Thankfully, the talented young prospect will make a full recovery, but it will cost him the start of the 2023-24 season.
Here is what Daily Faceoff’s Naftali Clinton reported on the news:
In his final season in junior, Quinn scored 52 goals and 89 points in 62 games. The following year he was only able to play 15 games, all in the AHL. The OHL was shutdown due to COVID-19 and being an 18-year-old in the AHL is never easy. Still, he ended up with nine points in those 15 games, but with a -14 rating.Quinn exploded onto the scene with 26 goals and 61 points in 45 AHL games in 2021-22. He also scored two points in as many NHL games for the Sabres, including scoring his first NHL goal. At 21 years old, Quinn has a long career ahead of him and will get an opportunity to play full-time for the Sabres yet again once he recovers from this injury.“As the year progressed, Kevin Wong from DobberHockey noted, he learned how to create enough space for himself to shoot the puck effectively, both off the rush and off the cycle. He handled his defensive responsibilities well, and spent time as a penalty killer for his team. He became more proficient at driving his line’s offense as well, improving as a forechecker over the course of the season.”Quinn has two years remaining on his entry-level contract.
Anaheim Ducks select first Italian-born goaltender Damian Clara in 2023 NHL Draft
On Thursday, the Anaheim Ducks selected first Italian-born goaltender Damian Clara with the 60th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville, TN.
Clara caught the eye of NHL scouts with more than just his height. Standing at six-foot-six and 207 pounds, the netminder from Brunico, Italy, uses his size to his advantage with excellent net-covering ability and puck tracking.
Last year, Clara spent his season playing for Farjestad BK of the Swedish Junior League, posting a 17-17-0 record with a .902 save percentage. He made waves when he appeared at the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship in 2021 at the age of 16, becoming one of the youngest goaltenders ever to attend the event.
The 18-year-old has sneakily been making his way up the draft rankings ever since and, to some surprise, was taken in the second round, even though he was predicted to go 83rd overall by Elite Prospects.
Here’s what Daily Faceoff’s Colton Davies reported:
The monster netminder was able to show off why he is the future of Italian goaltending this year at both the IIHF U18, U20, and World Championship tournaments. Clara was named the Best Goaltender at both the U18 D1B and U20 D1B tournaments while winning both his games at the World Championship D1A tournament, picking up a bronze medal at each level.Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis had this to say about Clara, “At 6-foot-6, Clara uses his size to his advantage, and scouts think teams will take a chance on him for his size alone. Plus, goaltenders from smaller hockey countries typically spend their whole career trying to scratch and claw their way onto pro team’s radars.”Clara will return to Sweden for another season of hockey. He has been loaned to Brynas IF of the HockeyAllsvenskan where he will battle it out for the starters position. Clara joins a Ducks prospect pipeline that includes Leo Carlsson, who was selected No. 2 overall yesterday.
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