No one is saying Hall is 100% gone. Just that he has been open that he will leave if he thinks he can win somewhere else. And a year after Jt left the Islanders, you would think the GM would have a plan.
IMO, he should have dealt him at the draft for a massive return. If Hall leaves, the Devils lose a massive asset for nothing. Terrible asset management.
What an overreaction.
No one is saying Hall is 100% gone, but you're saying it's terrible asset management that they didn't already trade him? Really?
Hall only played 33 games and was still rehabbing from a knee injury by the draft this summer. You really think they could've gotten a significantly better package over the summer versus waiting until the trade deadline?
Despite whatever tea leaves you're reading, it doesn't appear that Hall has made any decision on staying versus leaving the Devils. Both he and Shero have been very patient in the process and have had a good dialogue. From the Devils POV, they probably want to make sure there's no lingering issues with his knee. From Hall's POV, he probably wanted to see what moves NJ would make over the summer to improve the team. Both sides were not approaching July 1st with any urgency.
They're talking now and there's a decent chance things could get hammered out in the next few weeks. If things fall apart though, the Devils will have a much better idea where Hall is leaning and can make the decision whether or not to trade him by the trade deadline.
Regardless of what happens though, I have a feeling that you're 100% going to say the Devils made the wrong move. If he signs, it will be for too much. If they deal him, the return will not be good enough and they should've dealt him earlier. You're already setting up for those two scenarios.