As the NHL nears resumption, an off-season like no other awaits teams once a Stanley Cup is awarded.
Among those pending free agents, Arizona Coyotes star Taylor Hall is decidedly the top forward of the crop.
Last week, Hall had a dinner meeting with Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, his son, Alex Jr., and new COO Xavier Gutierrez, according to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. General manager John Chayka was not present. The team has declined to comment on the meeting.
“The plan was from the beginning to wait until the end of the season to begin any negotiations, and that is still the plan,” Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris, told Friedman.
Ferris did not comment on the meeting itself, or if any offers were made.
Craig Custance of The Athletic was first to report on the meeting, saying that it appeared Gutierrez was running point on the alleged negotiations, not Chayka.
In April, Ferris said the Coyotes had not yet made a contract offer for his client — echoing a statement made by Chayka in March.
The Coyotes acquired Hall from the New Jersey Devils in a December blockbuster, with the goal of making a playoff push.
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