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Inside look at Oilers
- Updated: August 2, 2016
Major changes were anticipated after the Edmonton Oilers failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for a 10th consecutive season.
General manager Peter Chiarelli expressed a desire to bolster the defence in the off-season, a plan that was expected to involve trading a forward.
That move came June 29, four days after the 2016 NHL Draft, when the Oilers traded left wing Taylor Hall to the New Jersey Devils for defenceman Adam Larsson.
“It’s a significant trade for the Edmonton Oilers and the New Jersey Devils,” Chiarelli said. “Taylor had been a longstanding member here, he was a very good player here and a guy that leaves everything on the ice, and I respect that.
“In the last four or five months, I’ve been very public in saying we were looking for defencemen and we really had to shore up our defence. We pounded the pavement and this is the price that you have to pay. It’s unfortunate that’s it’s a player of Taylor’s caliber, but we’re getting a really good player back.”
The trade was unpopular with many Oilers fans, who believed the return was not enough for Hall, the number one selection in the 2010 draft and Edmonton’s leading scorer last season (26 goals, 65 points). But the Oilers felt the trade was necessary to improve the roster and fill a void.
“We …
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