Confirmed with Link: Taylor Hall Acquired for Adam Larsson

[The Wumpus]

Does he play physical or is he more of a cerebral defender?

Generally more of a cerebral player, but he did noticeably increase the snarl in his game last season. He can bulldoze the crease when needed, and occasionally will throw a huge hit along the boards.

 

[The Wumpus]

I don't think Schneider solves our defensive issues. He can keep the puck out of the net, but we don't want to be pinned in our zone 40 minutes a game.

I admire the cojones it took for Shero to pull off this trade, seeing as it leaves a huge temporary hole in our D. I'm confident that he'll deal with it in some way before the season starts.

Ideally, we can get an overpaid-but-good cap casualty, like when Florida got Campbell from Chicago for peanuts (legendary ex-Devil Rusty Olesz).

 

[NJDevils17]

Friedman on radio this morning regarding the deal:

“And they just decided they needed that guy. And New Jersey held on. Held on. Finally, they threw Hall on the table. And even at the end, New Jersey played tough because Edmonton is gaining almost $2 million in cap space, and the Devils said, ‘We’re taking the extra cap space. We’re not adding anything else to this."

That's shrewd by Shero. Man is that playing it tough.

 

[Bleedred]

I don't think Schneider solves our defensive issues. He can keep the puck out of the net, but we don't want to be pinned in our zone 40 minutes a game.

Which is why I said that we can't replace Larsson's spot with any of the clowns that we had playing in the lineup last March. And Schlemko needs to be re-signed or go after someone that's an upgrade to him.

Outside of Mark Fraser and maybe the last year or two of Salvador, Warsofsky and Helgeson were the worst defensemen we've had in years. Probably since Kurtis Foster or one of the clowns from the 10-11 season that we called up. Peter Harrold is not as bad as either, I can confidently say that. I'm not sure Urbom was worse than either of them. They were literally OMG and Corrente bad. Taormina was better too.

My biggest fear is seeing guys like that in the lineup nightly. We were horrendous with them in, especially a train wreck with both of them and when they were on the same pair. It was painful to watch in person down in Sunrise a few months back. They made Schlemko's return literally look like we acquired Drew Doughty, that's how bad they were.

 

[NJDevs26]

Friedman on radio this morning regarding the deal:

“And they just decided they needed that guy. And New Jersey held on. Held on. Finally, they threw Hall on the table. And even at the end, New Jersey played tough because Edmonton is gaining almost $2 million in cap space, and the Devils said, ‘We’re taking the extra cap space. We’re not adding anything else to this."

That's shrewd by Shero. Man is that playing it tough.

Also apparently Pujjarvi falling to the Oilers had an impact on their willingness to do the trade. CBJ passing on him had a double benefit lol

 

[Bleedred]

Also apparently Pujjarvi falling to the Oilers had an impact on their willingness to do the trade. CBJ passing on him had a double benefit lol

Thanks for helping us out CBJ!

Loser management team they have.

 

[JimEIV]

Let me see the 3rd line and how we replace Larsson first. Last year we had no 3rd line and all of our in house replacements for Larsson aside from maybe Santini are garbage not NHL caliber and never will be. It remains to be seen if Santini is currently NHL caliber yet.

I'm not sure how relevant Santini being able to go or not is to this season.
Sure it will help if he's ready, but If not I don't think it is a big deal. I'm honestly more concerned about the left side depth and the fact that Merrill and Moore are the two best defenders after Greene on the Left side.

I'm going to be a little abrasive now, but hear me out...Larsson never proved he could anchor a pairing by himself, he hasn't provided much offense throughout his career and he was the worst skating regular defenseman we had on our team.

If you have bought into the "Fast, Attacking, Supportive" mantra, Larsson was the perfect piece to let go, he wasn't much of any of that. Who replaces those minutes isn't really important...Fayne has had them, Salvador has had them, Severson has had them for a short time too and has done very well with them. We still need to address the defesne...But the minutes on Greene's right side is the least of our worries.

 

[Bleedred]

I'm not sure how relevant Santini being able to go or not is to this season.
Sure it will help if he's ready, but If not I don't think it is a big deal. I'm honestly more concerned about the left side depth and the fact that Merrill and Moore are the two best defenders after Greene on the Left side.

I'm going to be a little abrasive now, but hear me out...Larsson never proved he could anchor a pairing by himself, he hasn't provided much offense throughout his career and he was the worst skating regular defenseman we had on our team.

If you have bought into the "Fast, Attacking, Supportive" mantra, Larsson was the perfect piece to let go, he wasn't much of any of that. Who replaces those minutes isn't really important...Fayne has had them, Salvador has had them, Severson has had them for a short time too and has done very well with them. We still need to address the defesne...But the minutes on Greene's right side is the least of our worries.

I'm not even talking who plays with Greene, just the body that replaces Larsson's presence in the lineup, not the exact spot. And we still haven't even re-signed Schlemko yet.

Out of the 3 call ups we used past year, Mozik seemed to bother me the least. I don't remember being pinned in our end for a minute (or literally MINUTES) at a time like the other two turds. Even MAG wasn't horrible, aside from the fact that we used him like he was the former #17 on the power play for two full minutes a couple times when he was up. But I don't think he's coming back anyway and probably isn't even an option to be on the NHL roster anyway. Nor do I think he should be.

 

[Devilsgrl35]

Friedman on radio this morning regarding the deal:

“And they just decided they needed that guy. And New Jersey held on. Held on. Finally, they threw Hall on the table. And even at the end, New Jersey played tough because Edmonton is gaining almost $2 million in cap space, and the Devils said, ‘We’re taking the extra cap space. We’re not adding anything else to this."

That's shrewd by Shero. Man is that playing it tough.

He's not wrong. Why should be take on more cap to help EDM get Lucic (assuming he signs) too? Good job by Shero sticking to his guns.

 

[McPuritania]

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

I'm not sure how relevant Santini being able to go or not is to this season.
Sure it will help if he's ready, but If not I don't think it is a big deal. I'm honestly more concerned about the left side depth and the fact that Merrill and Moore are the two best defenders after Greene on the Left side.

I'm going to be a little abrasive now, but hear me out...Larsson never proved he could anchor a pairing by himself, he hasn't provided much offense throughout his career and he was the worst skating regular defenseman we had on our team.

If you have bought into the "Fast, Attacking, Supportive" mantra, Larsson was the perfect piece to let go, he wasn't much of any of that. Who replaces those minutes isn't really important...Fayne has had them, Salvador has had them, Severson has had them for a short time too and has done very well with them. We still need to address the defesne...But the minutes on Greene's right side is the least of our worries.

Good luck producing any offense if he's being deployed the way Larsson was last year with Greene. You've suggested plugging Severson in where Larsson was last year. Do you seriously think he'll be bringing offense then? Unless he develops into literally one of the best players in the NHL, no, he won't. You're underrating the gaping hole that has been left. You can't just assume you'll plug anyone in there and get a top 3 best shut down pairing in the NHL (Greene-Larsson was). And if Severson is the one to do that, bye bye offense from him.

And if Santini is the guy to go next to Greene...That's a major risk. Hopefully he can be solid, but I don't expect the consistently great play that Larsson brought.

 

[Devil X]

Friedman on radio this morning regarding the deal:

“And they just decided they needed that guy. And New Jersey held on. Held on. Finally, they threw Hall on the table. And even at the end, New Jersey played tough because Edmonton is gaining almost $2 million in cap space, and the Devils said, ‘We’re taking the extra cap space. We’re not adding anything else to this."

That's shrewd by Shero. Man is that playing it tough.

Shero has some magic when trading thats for sure. Its clear throughout his history,

 

[Devil X]

Good luck producing any offense if he's being deployed the way Larsson was last year with Greene. You've suggested plugging Severson in where Larsson was last year. Do you seriously think he'll be bringing offense then? Unless he develops into literally one of the best players in the NHL, no, he won't. You're underrating the gaping hole that has been left. You can't just assume you'll plug anyone in there and get a top 3 best shut down pairing in the NHL (Greene-Larsson was). And if Severson is the one to do that, bye bye offense from him.

And if Santini is the guy to go next to Greene...That's a major risk. Hopefully he can be solid, but I don't expect the consistently great play that Larsson brought.

If you listen to Shero's phone interview it almost sounded like they wanted to get Greene away from being deployed like he was last year. They think he is out best offensive defenseman. Wouldnt shock me if they looked to have a very defensive first pairing by signing guys or trading and using a Greene Severson pair in a more offensive role.

 

[DanteDevilsHockey]

Anyone think Zacha should be given a chance as a RW, or tried there? It would add to his versatility, and it'd be nice to roll Hall-Henrique-Zacha, or at least give it a whirl if Zacha is comfortable at RW. He's already got that backside one-timer that the good off-wing guys provide, but he also made a couple plays in that one game from the right wing boards. It'd also be easier for him to shield the puck when driving down the boards and to the net.

That could be a potential move for the Devils, as having Hall, Henrique, and Zacha all on one line will intimidate opposing first lines in years to come. I completely agree with you, as Zacha is known for his patented one-timer from the right dot in Sarnia. Maybe your idea would be something we see in the preseason perhaps, but I think Shero wants Zacha to play in the middle right now. I was thinking once Mike McLeod comes up from Mississauaga for the 2017-18 season all fine tuned, he could center Zacha on the 2nd or 3rd line. We'll need to see how things pan out but I like the way you think.

 

[Traitor Zach]

If you listen to Shero's phone interview it almost sounded like they wanted to get Greene away from being deployed like he was last year. They think he is out best offensive defenseman. Wouldnt shock me if they looked to have a very defensive first pairing by signing guys or trading and using a Greene Severson pair in a more offensive role.

Wouldn't shock me if we saw Kris Russell and Ben Lovejoy looked at by Shero.

 

[devilsblood]

Oiler fan popping in to get a scouting report on Larsson and I'll give mine on Hall.
I'm one of the few Oiler fans who is ok with the trade after the initial shock, the Oilers board is insufferable right now. It was a tough decision made to fill an area of major need, something MacT didn't have the cojones to do. Both teams were in a similar position in that respect.

In any event, few questions about Larsson....
Does he have offensive upside?
How's his outlet pass?
Does he play physical or is he more of a cerebral defender?

I certainly think Larsson has more to give offensively, and I wouldn't be surprised to see his point production spike with a better forward group and a different role. He actually scored at a pretty decent rate the season before last after he was brought back up from Albany. Last year he and Greene were used in a virtually full time shutdown role, so the opportunities for offensive production weren't great.

His outlet passes are excellent. Probably my favorite thing about his game.

I would say he's more of a cerebral defender, but he definitely plays with an edge as well. He's surprisingly physical.

Generally more of a cerebral player, but he did noticeably increase the snarl in his game last season. He can bulldoze the crease when needed, and occasionally will throw a huge hit along the boards.

Lar's is not a big hitter, but he def plays a physical game, he grinds in the corner's, he has good size and will wear on guys, and imo his strength is moving the puck effectively out of those scrums, using his body to shield the puck and make a nice pass.

His strength is working the d-zone once the offense has set up. That's why he is a good PK guy, that's why his zone starts are as lopsided as they are.

Not a good skater, and will get burned on the rush by speed players, again speaks to why his zone starts are as they are, not a big shooter, often take's a "shot pass" looking for a deflection, which hasn't had much success.


Smart, physical, with good puck skills, not a great skater.

 

[SteveCangialosi123]

If you listen to Shero's phone interview it almost sounded like they wanted to get Greene away from being deployed like he was last year. They think he is out best offensive defenseman. Wouldnt shock me if they looked to have a very defensive first pairing by signing guys or trading and using a Greene Severson pair in a more offensive role.

That's true it did sound like that on the call...which was pretty surprising. Greene isn't very good offensively imo. He's a pretty good skater and puck mover, but he's pretty bad on the PP. His value is his ability to be a shutdown guy. I hope he doesn't get moved from that role.

 

[devilsblood]

That could be a potential move for the Devils, as having Hall, Henrique, and Zacha all on one line will intimidate opposing first lines in years to come. I completely agree with you, as Zacha is known for his patented one-timer from the right dot in Sarnia. Maybe your idea would be something we see in the preseason perhaps, but I think Shero wants Zacha to play in the middle right now. I was thinking once Mike McLeod comes up from Mississauaga for the 2017-18 season all fine tuned, he could center Zacha on the 2nd or 3rd line. We'll need to see how things pan out but I like the way you think.

I know that's what I want.

 

[Balance]

That's true it did sound like that on the call...which was pretty surprising. Greene isn't very good offensively imo. He's a pretty good skater and puck mover, but he's pretty bad on the PP. His value is his ability to be a shutdown guy. I hope he doesn't get moved from that role.

I think he can be very good offensively but he just lost his offensive instinct.

I don't mind re-signing Zidlicky for the extra offense though.

 

[SpeakingOfTheDevils]

I think he can be very good offensively but he just lost his offensive instinct.

I don't mind re-signing Zidlicky for the extra offense though.

Gross

Absolutely not to another round of Zidlicky.

 

[NjDevsRR]

Love how Taylor Hall has a great snap shot when he shoots five-hole, not many players look for that. We haven't had that since Kovalchuk.

 

[Zajacs Bowl Cut]

 

[MNDevilsfan]

Yep...he held firm, let the Oilers back themselves into a corner trying to find a better deal, and Chiarelli blinked first. Good stuff. Dude is a pro

 

[CKPLAYA]

Just listened to Shero's conference call on the trade, and I love everything he said. Calling Greene our best offensive defenseman is interesting. Given his minutes I think it's reasonable to understand why his numbers wouldn't show it so maybe Shero thinks there's something there if he was deployed differently. I don't see it but I'm not the GM that just got Taylor ****ing Hall, so I'll defer to Shero on this one.

Taylor Hall!

Listening to the Edmonton presser you know Shero robbed them when Chiareli admits he gave up the better player. The reviews for this deal from an Edmonton stand point are scathing. Listening to XM yesterday was classic. Larsson is not well respected throughout the league and with good reason. High five to Shero. Complete highway robbery. No need to be so humble on here boys. We flat out stole Hall.

 

[Devil X]

I hate that they are taking away how good Larrson really is.

On another side of it i did say that when the Oilers finally made a move the return was not going to be as great because every GM knew they had to make a deal involving a forward for a Dman and were going to try and take advantage of that. Shero did as i said.