Hall fulfilling promise that made him No. 1 pick in 2010 Draft

LAS VEGAS -- Steve Tambellini is proud of the success Taylor Hall is having with the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

The former general manager of the Edmonton Oilers remembers how devoted the Carolina forward was to being the No. 1 pick in the 2010 NHL Draft. 

“I remember asking him prior to the draft what he would think about being the No. 1 pick,” Tambellini told NHL.com Friday. “His answer to me was, ‘Steve, I am the No. 1 pick.’ And it wasn’t bragging, he just looked me in the eye and said it very seriously that he was the No. 1 pick.”

Hall is nearly 16 years removed from being selected No. 1 by the Oilers and is still going strong. He leads Carolina with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 16 playoff games, going into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC). The Hurricanes trail the best-of-7 series, 2-1. 

“I’m not surprised of what he’s doing because I know how driven a person he is,” Tambellini said. “You can see how much he’s enjoying playing the game and he’s got his body in a spot physically where he’s competitive every night. It’s impressive that he’s still going like that. When you get close to the end of your career, the horse can see the barn and there’s a Stanley Cup sitting there.” 

Hall is in his 16th NHL season and very much resembles the player that spent his first six seasons in Edmonton as the cornerstone of a rebuild. The 34-year-old was selected ahead of Tyler Seguin in 2010, and in the build-up to the draft there was the question of who Edmonton was going take, Taylor or Tyler?

“Both were exceptional players, no question,” Tambellini said. “But every time we saw Taylor in a big situation, he found a way to get it done. Whether you were watching him with your head scout (Stu MacGregor), talking to his previous coaches and people that knew him, he was pretty consistent all the way through. 

“His physical assets were obvious to everybody at that time, but going back and winning back-to-back Memorial Cups and the MVP twice at the Memorial Cup, it was pretty tough to argue against that record that he had.”

Hall won the Memorial Cup in 2009 and 2010 with Windsor of the Ontario Hockey League and was named tournament MVP both seasons. 

It proved to be the deciding factor for the Oilers, although MacGregor said he thought the decision might be made for them when Hall took a massive hit from defenseman Travis Hamonic, who played for Brandon of the Western Hockey League, and went face first into the end boards in the opening game of the 2010 tournament.

Hall had to be helped off the ice but returned to score two goals in a 9-3 win. 

“I remember I looked at ‘Tamby’ and said, ‘Our decision could be done,’” MacGregor said. “He looked like he was hurt badly. He went into the boards so hard, but he got up and kept playing. Then I went, ‘Oh man, this guy’s driven.’ And he played really well. I think he scored a really big goal in that game if I remember right. For me, it kind of was one of those moments where it helps you make your decision.” 

Hall had a strong rookie season for Edmonton in 2010-11 with 42 points (22 goals, 20 assists) in 65 games. The following season he had 53 points (27 goals, 26 assists) in 61 games. 

Edmonton had bottomed out after getting to the 2006 Stanley Cup Final and losing to Carolina in seven games. The Oilers won just 27 games the year before they drafted Hall and 25 when he was a rookie. They would not get back to the playoffs until 2017. 

“There are not too many 18-year-olds that are the drivers of the line he’s out there with and he did that his first year, so that was impressive,” Tambellini said. “We were in a full rebuild and brought in Taylor. And sometimes, not every night, but sometimes, he would be the best player on the ice as an 18-year-old.”

Both Tambellini and MacGregor are happy Hall has an opportunity to win the Stanley Cup this season. The Hurricanes tied the series with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 2 in Carolina on Thursday. 

Neither Tambellini nor MacGregor were still with the Oilers when Hall was traded to the New Jersey Devils for defenseman Adam Larsson on June 29, 2016. 

Hall went on to win the Hart Trophy as the most valuable player to his team in his second season with New Jersey in 2017-18. He had 93 points (39 goals, 54 assists) in 76 games and helped the Devils get into the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

“I was very proud of Taylor when he ended up in New Jersey and he won the MVP and dragged that team into the playoffs,” MacGregor said. “It just showed how good a player he was. I felt vindicated that we took him No. 1 and he really was a heck of a player. 

“Now to see him make his way back to a level that is affecting a team that could possibly win the Stanley Cup, it kind of makes you think how good things could have been in Edmonton had he been able to stay there and be able to build through him and with him.”

Tambellini said he will always have an emotional attachment to players he drafted who went on to have success in the NHL. He has connections on both sides of the Final. 

“For someone like Taylor, obviously every player that’s in this Final, that’s their ultimate goal, having a chance to win a Stanley Cup,” Tambellini said. “I’m happy for him and you feel proud of the fact that he’s still playing at that level.”