Adam Larsson And Taylor Hall's Initial Reactions To The Trade Have My Heart In A Blender

Adam Larsson:

Thank you devils. Thank you devilsfans. I will miss you all..

— Adam Larsson (@AdamLarsson3) June 30, 2016

I am not going to lie to you. As ecstatic as I am about adding a bonafide star to the Devils team that hasn't had one since Zach Parise left the state and Ilya Kovalchuk defected the country, listening to this interview hurt my heart. Legit sounded like a kid that went off to school all wide-eyed and innocent and returned home to a note from his parents notifying him of an impending divorce. Did Adam Larsson's childhood pup get put down or did he just get shipped out of town? I honestly can't tell. You can almost hear in his voice how connected Adam Larsson feels to the franchise that drafted him even after he was put through the ringer by a head coach that shall remain nameless. Before yesterday that would have been awesome to hear, but it's downright depressing realizing how invested he was in this team as he begrudgingly leaves it in his rearview.

Oilers fans are too emotional to realize it right now, but they've acquired a budding shutdown defenseman that is phenomenal at doing the little things that win hockey games. Could they have gotten more for Taylor Hall? Most likely. Did they get a guy whose first pass is going to spring all 35 of Edmonton's young, highly touted forwards on enough odd man rushes to even out the difference? Absolutely. Adam Larsson is just coming into his own as a player and even if that doesn't mean a substantial increase in point production, it does mean that he has a chance to solidify a first pairing for the foreseeable future. It still doesn't feel real that Taylor Hall is coming to New Jersey, but I'm just as numb to the fact that Adam Larsson is no longer a Devil.

Taylor Hall:

Full Taylor Hall quote: pic.twitter.com/409QCrzWil

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) June 29, 2016

Quick question, how many days until the season starts? Fuck free agency, let's just drop the puck right now. Not only because I already miss hockey, but because I can't leave to chance that Taylor Hall forgets how betrayed he felt the moment the dumpster fire he has worked his ass off to extinguish burned him by dismissing him for a lesser player. Granted, Hall didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement of his new home, but he did give everyone a glimpse at the chip that will undoubtedly will be on his shoulder when he's playing there next year. I don't think you could ask for a better immediate response as a Devils fan. A former first overall draft pick - that's already been quite successful - coming into a new situation with something to prove? Sign me up. Taylor Hall sounds like a guy that got broken up with and wasted no more than a few hours getting himself a gym membership. If his words ring true he's ready to improve just to spite his former franchise, and I am sure his brand new franchise - that hasn't scored a 5-on-5 goal since Obama's first term - is downright giddy at the thought of benefiting from that motivation.

NHL forwards, 2012-16, min 1,000 minutes, ranked by 5v5 PTS/60:
1. Sidney Crosby: 2.71
2. Jamie Benn: 2.54
3. Taylor Hall: 2.49

— Jonathan Willis (@JonathanWillis) June 29, 2016