With the news Thursday that Devils star left wing Taylor Hall, the 2017-18 NHL Hart Trophy winner as the league's MVP, underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and may not return to the ice this season, Devils fans are faced with this harrowing thought: What if the otherwise nondescript 3-0 defeat in Columbus on December 23 was be the last time we see Hall wear the Devils' crest on his jersey?
Hall, 27, still has another season on his 7-year, $42 million contract he signed when he was an Edmonton Oiler, before the Devils stole him in a one-for-one trade for defenseman Adam Larsson in the summer of 2016. All indications have been that Hall is open to re-signing with New Jersey when extension talks can commence on July 1.
However, Devils management only has to look a little bit to the east on Thursday night as a reminder of what can happen if the process isn't wrapped up in short order. Islanders fans will be taking their wrath out on All-Star center John Tavares for bolting Long Island last offseason for his Toronto hometown. But, in reality, it was team management that screwed up by putting all their eggs in Tavares' loyalty basket.
The lesson, then, is that Devils general manager Ray Shero should (and likely will) do everything in his power to get Hall's signature on a new contract in July. In case you couldn't tell from the dearth of talent the team puts on the ice, the Devils will have oodles of salary cap space. Maybe you don't give Hall a blank check, but you work out a number that he can live with comfortably.
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If that's still not enough, Hall has to be traded. The sooner the better, or else he will later fall into the dreaded "rental property" category.
The Devils can't trust that Hall will come back to them once he tests the waters. According to the New York Post's Larry Brooks, that's what doomed the Islanders with Tavares. It would be a certainty that some elite team, maybe a Canadian one, will clear the requisite cap space to make Hall a formidable pitch.
Don't discount the impact that New Jersey's high state taxes play. Not to be too political, but it won't be getting better for the area's high-income athletes in the next 15 months. It could even get worse.
Tavares reportedly saved the equivalent of about $12 million by having the vast majority of his Toronto compensation labelled "bonuses." In Canada, those are taxed at 15 percent. Of course, the U.S. tax code is far more punitive, with a top rate (for now) of 37 percent.
It's hard enough for the Devils to compete for top players given their relative anonymity in both the New York metropolitan area and NHL landscapes. Adding these financial differences might make for too big of a burden to overcome.
When Shero spoke to the media following Monday's trade deadline, he noted that Hall is itching to play again this season. Of course, no one at the time knew why he was out, other than the token "lower body injury" designation he was given for the last two months.
Hall originally injured the knee at a December practice and then missed two games. He returned to play four games a week later, recording six points in the first three before shutting it down after the shutout loss at home to Columbus.
Given those circumstances, why would the Devils even consider putting their most prized asset at risk in meaningless games down the stretch? Injuries and deadline trades have left the team with a minor league lineup, one that will compete in the tanking race as opposed to the playoff race.
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With a nod to departed goalie Keith Kinkaid, Hall was the primary reason the Devils surprised the hockey world a year ago by qualifying for their first postseason appearance since 2012. He was a worthy MVP.
Devils fans should be eternally grateful. Let's not wait for him to pull a Tavares and have him change our minds.