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Report: Hall can’t play in the AHL during the lockout

Taylor Hall

Taylor Hall is still recovering from shoulder surgery, but when he’s better, Hall will not be able to join the Oilers’ young stars and top prospects in Oklahoma City, according to an Edmonton Journal report.

The problem is that Hall was on the injured reserve list when the lockout began and consequently not eligible to be sent to the minors. In other words, if he wants to play during the lockout, he will probably have to travel to Europe.

For now though, Hall will focus on skating and continuing his recovery. At some point, he might be allowed to do contact drills with the WHL Edmonton Oil Kings, who are also owned by the Oilers.

“Whether I’d be ready to start the season on Oct. 11 (the scheduled start of the NHL regular season), I can’t say, but it’s really close,” Hall said.

He added that the lockout “is almost a little bit of a blessing for me” because it might allow him to get his shoulder up to 100% before playing. Hall’s shoulder problems predate the Edmonton Oilers taking him with the top pick in 2010, but he played through the injury until he finally couldn’t put it off any longer.

Hall is scheduled to complete his entry-level contract this season. After that, his seven-year, $42 million deal will kick in.