After being scratched in each of the last two games, Taylor Hall was traded by the Devils to the Arizona Coyotes, the team announced on Monday.

In return, the Devils received a pair of draft picks, including Arizona's first-rounder in 2020, along with defenseman Kevin Bahl and forwards Nick Merkley and Nate Schnarr.

Hall was expected to be a leader on and off the ice for the Devils, who brought in P.K. Subban in the offseason along with No. 1 overall draft pick Jack Hughes.

But things haven't gone the way the team planned. They started the season 9-13-4 and fired head coach John Hynes in November. They haven't improved much since interim coach Alain Nasreddine took the reins, and Hall has been increasingly prickly as the season has gone on.

In November, Hall called out Devils fans for booing the struggling team. And when the 28-year-old scored a go-ahead goal on home ice in the next game, he mockingly cupped his hand to his ear while celebrating.

Even so, Hall was diplomatic in his comments about the fans after the trade was announced.

"After my career is done, when I'm 65 years old, I'll still remember NJ Devils fans chanting 'MVP' for me. I have a lot to thank Devils fans and the organization for." - Taylor Hall
- Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) December 16, 2019

Hall won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's Most Valuable Player in 2017-18, when he scored 93 points (39 goals, 54 asssists) and helped lead the Devils to the playoffs for the first time in six years. He was orginially acquired from the Edmonton Oilers following the 2015-16 season in exchange for defenseman Adam Larsson, and finishes his Devils stint with 208 points (76 goals, 132 assists) in 211 games.

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