Is there any serious dissent regarding Taylor Hall? I feel like the writers here are generally pretty critical of prospects, but when it comes to Hall, there just isn't much complaint. In my view, he's both the best and the most exciting forward on the team today.
He's one of the few forwards on the team who can drive possession (first on the team in on-ice Corsi and RelCorsi by a hefty margin; second in ZoneShift; and last time we checked in, first on the team in on-ice scoring chances). With 42 points in 48 games, he's also putting up actual offense.
If we were to do a Top 25 Under 25 for the entire NHL, I'm convinced that Taylor Hall would make everyone's list. And while you might say that should be expected of a first overall pick, it sure is pleasing to see Hall delivering the goods a year and a half later.
Unanimity. For the second consecutive series, every person has Hall at the top of the list. And that is as it should be. I mean, come on! He's the best forward on the team at 20!
Like I did yesterday with Nugent-Hopkins, I thought that I may as well bring out the old Taylor Hall comparables one last time. The methodology I was using with Hall all down the line didn't involve any scoring adjustments, so while that's probably not ideal, I decided to stay consistent. The last time we looked in, I was suggesting caution for this season since some of the players wound up in a bit of a holding pattern after their first or first two seasons. Needless to say, Hall hasn't:
That's a darn good group of players right there, and Hall is sitting pretty near the top. All down the line, I've taken to comparing Hall to Patrick Marleau, but more and more, I'm liking the Mike Modano comparison that our readers have generally preferred. The deficiency, of course, is that they play different positions. But the style of play, and in particular the reckless speed, is a defining characteristic of both players.
Hall still needs to work on the defensive aspects of his game in order to really compare well with Modano in his prime, but there's plenty of time to get there, and at this point, I just won't bet against him. Taylor Hall is a phenomenal talent, and I look forward to watching him for years to come.