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Hall is not a perfect player. He has flaws in his game yet he was one of the few players who put forth a solid effort every night, but to some within the organization it didn’t matter. He wasn’t a great leader, and he couldn’t magically make a pathetically run organization successful on the ice. He was the problem.

Up until the trade deadline in March of 2015, the rumours persisted and the organization did nothing. Then on April 18, the Oilers won the Connor McDavid lottery. A combination of balls saved the organization and McDavid’s arrival led to the hiring of Peter Chiarelli and Todd McLellan.

Stu MacGregor and a few scouts were the only ones to lose their job. Many others in management where given other duties, but they were still employed.

The most important person in the organization, McDavid, arrived in Edmonton and he chose to live with Hall. McDavid said this after learning of Hall’s trade.

“Change is exciting, but at the same time it’s upsetting to see a teammate, a dear friend and my roommate go. It’s a little bit of a different feeling right now.

“I want to express thanks for all that he’s done for me because he’s done so much. I’ll never really know how I can repay him, or if I’ll ever be able to, for what he’s done for me this year. He’s a guy who took me under his wing right away. It’s hard to explain how much that means to me.”

Hall doesn’t sound nearly as bad as some portrayed him. Players get traded all the time, even star players, and Chiarelli felt it was a move to improve his team. That is fine, but it is embarrassing how some in the organization and some fans felt the need to drag his name through the mud to make themselves feel better for their own inadequacies.

It would be a welcome change if the organization and the city could just let a player be traded without feeling the need to drag their name through the mud. Jason Arnott, Mike Comrie, Sheldon Souray, Chris Pronger and others have endured the same.

You can listen to Gregor weekdays from 2-6 p.m. on TSN 1260, read him at oilersnation.com and follow him @jasongregor on twitter.