Coyotes GM says team needs to be 'very creative' to retain Hall

Newly minted Arizona Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong admitted keeping pending unrestricted free agent Taylor Hall in the desert won't be a straightforward process.

"It'd have to be very creative to keep him (in Arizona)," Armstrong said, per NHL.com's Brian Compton. "That's something we're going to explore. We're never going to turn our eye to talent like that. He's a heck of a player, but we've got to explore. These are (things that are) going to happen between now and free agency. We're going to explore everything."

The Coyotes have made numerous pitches to Hall, but the 28-year-old winger is the top free-agent forward on the market this offseason and has stated several times his top priority at this stage of his career is winning.

Arizona made the playoffs for the first time since 2012 this summer by virtue of the expanded field. Since being drafted first overall in 2010, Hall has only played in 14 postseason contests.

Hall is coming off a seven-year, $42-million contract signed with the Edmonton Oilers in 2012. He should receive a considerable raise from his $6 million average annual value on his next deal, which hurts Arizona's odds of keeping the star player; the club has a projected $1.1 million in available cap space for next season, according to Cap Friendly.

Hall has notched 563 points in 627 career games and won the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 2018.

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