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New York Islanders Drop The Ball On Taylor Hall

By Matt O'Leary
Mar 18, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall (4) looks for a pass against the Vancouver Canucks at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2016; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall (4) looks for a pass against the Vancouver Canucks at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New Jersey Devils came out of the clouds and traded for Taylor Hall today. This naturally sent Isles Twitter into a frenzy as they expected Garth Snow to make that deal.

The Devils sent Adam Larsson to Edmonton in exchange for the former number one overall pick Taylor Hall. The reason this effects the Islanders so much is because Garth Snow was supposed to send Hamonic to Edmonton for Taylor Hall.

I don’t think anyone expected the Devils to swoop into the mix for Taylor Hall. With Steven Stamkos off the market before free agency even starts the Isles find themselves in a bit of a pickle.

Due to their past it’s easy to assume that the Islanders aren’t in the market for a big time free agent. There’s rumors of the Islanders being in the mix for Andrew Ladd but if the Islanders have to replace Nielsen and Okposo as well that won’t be enough.

The issue is that this trade is regarded as a steal for the Devils. The Islanders fans are upset with Garth because they see deals like this and think why not us. It’s no secret that the Oilers needed a d-man and many believed a Hamonic and Hall swap would be likely.

As we discussed recently Hamonic rescinding his trade request actually increased his value. I recently wrote how I would prefer to move Boychuk over Hamonic although with the likely losses in free agency I found myself rethinking Hamonic for Hall.

It’s tough to kill Garth when free agency hasn’t even started yet but I understand the impatience from Islander fans. The vibe given off is that the Islanders are content with their second round appearance and don’t want to build off of that.

Next: Islanders Offer Sheet Options

Maybe I’m wrong, hopefully Garth puts this thing in gear and trades for a name and signs a nice depth guy. Yesterday I pondered over Joe Colborne as a fit for the Islanders. Today on Twitter that name circulated a little bit (I’m taking credit for this one). Nonetheless although it seems like Garth may have messed this one up he may have a shot to redeem himself

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