CHN Exclusive: Taylor Hall Talks Trade Rumors: “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t distracting at times”

Taylor Hall knows the trade rumors are out there. He knows the Colorado Avalanche have been mentioned as a potential destination for his services.

As much as he tries to just focus on his biggest job – which is to play hockey for the New Jersey Devils, Hall spoke candidly with me after the Devils’ morning skate here at the Pepsi Center, where the Avs host New Jersey at 7 p.m.

Hall talked about what it’s like to see his name in rumors every day – and a bit about the Avs being a potential suitor.

“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t distracting at times, when there’s noise out there” Hall told Colorado Hockey Now of the rumors. “But you do your best to try and limit that. and focus on what you have to do, which is preparing well and practicing well.”

Hall, who can be an unrestricted free agent next summer, is widely reported to be on the trading block. The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 24, but there has been plenty of speculation that the Devils would like to move him much sooner than that, to perhaps get a better price. There is a league-wide trade freeze that starts Dec. 19 and lasts until Dec. 27, and there is added speculation that the Devils would like to do the deal before then.

As to the Avalanche being mentioned as a potential top suitor, Hall said, “Obviously, they’re having a really successful year. It’s my first time going through this, and I’ve seen other guys go through it, and there’s always a lot of rumors. You just never really know what happens ’til it happens. If you start thinking about ‘it’d be nice to play for that team’ or ‘it would be nice to go there, that’s a nice city’ you’re taking your focus off what’s at hand and that’s really playing games as well as I can.”

Hall maintains that he enjoys being a Devil. Just not the losing.

“We get treated like gold here and I have some really good friends on this team, who I’ve really enjoyed playing with,” Hall said. “For whatever reason, it looks like that might not last ’til the end of the season, but certainly I don’t come to the rink with a frown. I have a lot of fun with these guys, but we just haven’t been able to win as many games as we want.”

Here’s video I took of the interview. I have no idea why it came out sidewise, though. I held it the correct way I thought: