Hall happy, mulling future with Devils, says agent

Taylor Hall enjoys playing for the New Jersey Devils, according to his agent who said Thursday he doesn't believe there will be any problems when it comes to discussing a contract extension for the forward.

Hall, acquired for defenseman Adam Larsson in a trade with the Edmonton Oilers on June 29, 2016, has one season remaining on the seven-year, $42 million contract he signed with the Oilers. The earliest the Devils could sign the 2018 Hart Trophy winner to an extension is July 1.
"I recently met [Hall] in Montreal and we had a great chat and he loves the New Jersey Devils, he loves the fan base there," Darren Ferris said on the "Stellick and Simmer in the Morning" show on Sirius/XM Radio on Thursday. "I think this type of discussion, at the end of the year, is something where he's going to sit down with his family and with [general manager Ray Shero] and strategize to say, 'OK, how is this going to look going forward' and then probably make a decision there.
"I'm sure every player looks at it and says, 'I saw what they did' and do consider it. I'm not going to say they don't, but I don't foresee any issues there either."

Hall, who had an NHL career-high 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 76 games last season during his MVP season, is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury.
The 27-year-old was injured during practice on Dec. 13 and missed New Jersey's next two games before returning on Dec. 18. He re-aggravated the injury against the Columbus Blue Jackets five days later and hasn't played since.
Hall, who has 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in 33 games this season, will miss his 18th straight game when the Devils host the New York Islanders at Prudential Center on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; MSG, MSG+, NHL.TV).
Ferris also expressed his appreciation for Shero and the work he's done with the Devils.
"He is one of the best in the League and treats his players tremendously," Ferris said. "I'm a big fan of Ray Shero and the job his doing. He had a big task going into the organization to put that together again and I think he's done a tremendous job."