Honestly why would they want him at this point?
I'm sorry this is going to be so long but it's something I think about a lot.
Hall traded to Devils- Rampant rumors about Hall being a "locker room cancer" as he's shipped to NJ.
He talked several times about how he took the trade personally and was unhappy.
First year with the Devils- 72gp 20g 33a 53p - Not bad but not great. He had a bit of an attitude issue. So much so that Ray Shero said he had a four hour dinner with Taylor after the season and told him he had to commit and state that he wanted to be here otherwise he would have to trade him.
Second year with the Devils- 76gp 39a 54a 93p- Amazing. MVP.
Third year with the Devils- 33gp 11g 26a 37p- Goal scoring was down... but he was still contributing a an over 1ppg rate... missed half the season due to his knee injury.
Fourth year with the Devils- 30gp 6g 19a 25p- This was a mess. His contract had been a distraction since before the season started. He absolutely lost a step after his knee surgery. His goal scoring continued to disappear. The Devils were bad. No question about it.. They started 0-4-3. The fans started to boo because they blew practically every game at home from a leading position. He made comments to the media about fans booing that it was affecting him. He would say over and over again that he wanted to play with a winning team. He wanted to win. The Devils spent some money to get him some help with Gusev and Subban... remember the joke that the Devils won the offseason? Hall did not seem into it mentally at all.
Funny enough as soon as they scratched him from the lineup (he sat 2-3 games before trading him) the team immediately started playing better. Last 10 games before trading him 2-7-1. 20-13-7 after benching and trading him.
The Coyotes 10 games before acquiring him- 5-4-1. After acquiring him- 15-16-4. 10 goals in 35 games for them.
Yes, there were other reasons for the Yotes slipping a bit... they had serious goaltending injuries. It's just interesting that he didn't seem to improve them and the Devils benefitted not having him there.
The conversation became about his contract. He did the same dance as he did with the Devils. He said he was open to signing there but wanted to win. It was obvious he wasn't going to stay there.
So after all the talk about wanting to win, he signs with the Buffalo Sabres. One year. He has 2 goals in 27 games. It is obvious he isn't interested in staying in Buffalo no matter what he says. He has one more crack at free agency for a long term deal and wanted Jack Eichel to help him put up some points and get his value back up.
So my overall question to Oilers fans is, do you want him? Why? He's a distraction, he's unfortunately lost his scoring touch due to his knee injury and he's going to be an expensive player. Can he handle the Canadian media? He was really sensitive about how he left Edmonton and had comments for the media there.
All the best to him, honestly. During his MVP season, he was amazing. I bought a Hall jersey. It was one of the most fun times I've had as a Devils fan since 2003... but that just really ended on a sour note.
I know guys have to get their money while they can... but if he's really interested in winning, I think his best bet is to do something like 5 or 6x5 in Colorado, Vegas, Carolina, or Philadelphia... less pressure since he will have a contract at a reasonable price... and he will have the chance to win in that span.