Islanders: Three best wingers available in free agency market
Taylor Hall | Arizona Coyotes
Points per game: 0.80
2019-20 Stats: 16G, 36A, 52Pts
With 52 points in 65 games, Taylor Hall isn’t having another Hart Trophy year. After carrying the Devils into the playoffs on his back, Taylor Hall has regressed back to what he normally is. A player who has a point per game potential, but generally falls just short.
Throughout his career, he’s scored 563 points in 627 games. That’s a 0.897 points-per-game pace.
That isn’t close to Hart Trophy numbers, but that’s certainly top-six if not top-line worthy pace stats.
This season, Hall is a little below that 0.897P/G average with a flat 0.80 P/G between the New Jersey Devils and the Arizona Coyotes. But even at 0.80 P/G, he’d be the second-highest scoring player on the Isles right now with Brock Nelson at 54 points.
The Islanders could seriously use that type of production on their team.
With that sub-standard 0.80 P/G Hall’s free agent fee is certainly going to be less. Where it was previously thought that Hall could command close to $10 million per season, you’d have to think that number has shifted south to around $8 million.
Again, he’s scoring at the same rate as Brock Nelson is and the Isles center is signed at a $6 million cap hit. There’s no way he hit $10 million on the open market. But at ~$8 million a year, that’s a cost the Islanders could live with. Assuming they can move enough around to make it work.
Possible Lineup:
Yes, Taylor Hall is left-wing. But bringing him in would balance out the Islanders top-six by putting Bailey next to Lee on the same line, as it should be.
Added bonus: Jordan Eberle would certainly relish playing with his old friend once again.