Taylor Hall and Adam Larsson will be forever connected in the NHL, as their one-for-one trade created a unique argument that divides hockey fans.
Of course, over the past decade or so, fans have begun to use statistics like Corsi and other predictive metrics that have questioned the value of a stay at home defenceman. Still, there is a large population of hockey fans that believes hits, blocked shots and other defensive techniques are some of the most important aspects of being a defenseman.
That population is part of what earned him the first start in last night’s game, despite McDavid notching three assists in the game, while he only got one. Larsson put up some big numbers in other categories.
Taylor Hall on the other hand scored a goal, keeping him on pace for over 100 points and reminding Oilers fans of where that secondary scoring went.
Both sides have issues with both players, as people are very skeptical of hit numbers in the NHL and even more skeptical of their value. On the other hand, Taylor Hall may have scored a goal, but he was a -2 in a losing effort. Of course, with all of this happening in Edmonton, that reignited a debate that has been going on ever since the trade went down.
