When the Edmonton Oilers acquired Adam Larsson from the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Taylor Hall, the Oilers' feedback was - to put it nicely - underwhelming.
In trading Hall, the Oilers relinquished one of their top offensive threats for an under-the-radar defenseman, yet to reach the pinnacle of his career trajectory as the fourth overall pick in 2011.
Still only 23 years old, Larsson believes he can develop into more of an offensive threat, coming off a personally promising campaign last season.
"I think I can take an even bigger step," Larsson said, according to NHL.com's Derek Van Diest. "There was a lot of focus on defense and penalty kill last year and the next step is to be more offensive, and hopefully, get more powerplay time."
In 274 NHL games, Larsson has 69 points, but skepticism aside, he's excited for a change of scenery in Edmonton, even if he's replacing a fan favorite.
"They are obviously big shoes to fill," Larsson said. "He's a forward and I'm a D-Man and it's different, but New Jersey got a really good player and I'm happy to be here. It's going to be a lot of fun. Looking at the group, it's a really young group, and especially now with the new rink, I think it's going to be a good, new fresh start for everyone."
Copyright © 2016 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.