In the ultra secretive world that is the NHL, it is uncommon for the general public to truly know the details that surround their favorite teams and players. Injuries often have a limited description, such as lower body or upper body, and surprising personnel moves rarely get explained.

Flash back to last summer and the blockbuster trade that sent Taylor Hall from Edmonton to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for defensemen Adam Larsson. Hall, a former number one overall draft pick, had been struggling in Edmonton and general manager Peter Chiarelli opted to make a switch.

New Jersey was in need of a top scorer and the price of sending back one of their top defensemen in Larsson seemed like a good fit. Looking back, the trade is a big win for New Jersey as they have transformed into a playoff team, while Edmonton struggled even more and are admittedly looking for scoring help this offseason.

So why did they trade Hall in the first place?

Peter Chiarelli trade history

Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli is known for making big trades. During his time in Boston, Chiarelli moved on from a young Tyler Seguin, taken one pick after Hall, after he determined that Seguin's immaturity was outweighing his skill on the ice. The return was several players who made little impact and are not with the team today.

The trading of Taylor Hall seems like it falls into that category as well. An abrupt summer trade of one the best players on the team, for a return that just doesn't quite add up.

After missing out on the playoffs this season, Chiarelli has declared that the team is looking to find an elite scorer this summer. It is certainly odd as they also seem to be willing to trade a top four defenseman to make it happen.

If that is true, than trading Hall seems even more like an overreaction by Oilers management.

Georges Laraque comments

Speaking on his Montreal-based radio program, former Oiler Georges Laraque had some pretty damning accusations for Hall. According to Laraque, Hall was having either drug or alcohol issues and it resulted in him having to enter rehab shortly before he was traded.

Adding another layer to the accusation, Laraque also claimed that the other teams in the league knew about the rehab and that Edmonton was desperate to move on from the player. This greatly diminished his trade value and resulted in the even swap for Larsson as the best deal they could get.

These are really big claims that one would think means Laraque has some inside knowledge of what was going on. He did play for Edmonton in the late 90's to early 2000's so he likely does know what he is talking about. However, to call out another player in such a fashion is troubling to say the least.

He might just be venting his frustration as Hall has regained his form as an elite player and Edmonton has clearly lost the trade. Regardless, it is a bit classless on his part to bring up such a reason as to why the remainder of the team, minus Conor McDavid, performed poorly this season.
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