If the lockout continues, then Taylor Hall would like to join Jordan Eberle, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Justin Schultz in AHL Oklahoma City, but until recently he thought that wasn’t possible.
Hall is working to bounce back from shoulder surgery and he consequently couldn’t be assigned to the AHL before the lockout. Hall’s agent and the Oilers thought that disqualified him from playing in the minors during the lockout, but the AHL recently sent out a memo to the contrary, according to the Edmonton Journal.
“They’ve clarified that players who do not require waivers, who meet the rest of the criteria, can sign an American (Hockey) League contract,” said Oilers GM Steve Tambellini.
“The intent wasn’t to prohibit guys, who would normally have been able to go, to go down.”
That means that when Hall is ready to play in a few weeks, we could see Eberle, Nugent-Hopkins, and Hall forming the top line of an AHL club. That will give them a chance to continue their development together even as the lockout continues.