New Jersey Devils

The Oilers welcomed Taylor Hall with tribute in his return to Edmonton

Published Jan. 12, 2017 10:49 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Pete Blackburn

Taylor Hall wasn't pleased when the Edmonton Oilers decided to trade him to the New Jersey Devils this past offseason. He said as much himself.

It's hard to blame him, honestly. After being drafted by the Oilers first overall in 2010, he spent more than a handful of years impressing on teams that didn't. Then when it finally appeared that the Oilers were set to turn the corner, Hall was gone — traded for Adam Larsson in one-for-one deal that caught many by surprise.

Hockey is a business and sometimes that business is tough. Hall eventually moved on and is having a pretty solid first year with New Jersey.

But it was time for the 25-year-old to revisit his Oilers tenure on Thursday night when he made his first trip to Edmonton as an opponent. During the first period of the Devils' contest against the Oilers, Hall's former team paid tribute to him and the impact he had on the club and the community.

I'm sure it was a nice bit of closure for Hall, who was received warmly by the Edmonton faithful. Unfortunately for the winger, he's once again found himself on a struggling team in New Jersey while the Oilers look to be in the midst of their best season in years.

share

Get more from New Jersey Devils Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

New Jersey Devils

Edmonton Oilers

National Hockey League