NHL Free Agency 2020: Rumors and Predictions for Taylor Hall, Alex Pietrangelo

NHL's free agency period started Friday, but there is still plenty of talent available.

Perhaps none of that talent is as noteworthy as defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and left-winger Taylor Hall. Adam Gretz of NBC Sports ranked them as the Nos. 1 and 2 free agents available this offseason, respectively, suggesting whichever team lands them will be among the biggest winners of the offseason.

With that in mind, here is the latest buzz surrounding both players.

Mystery Surrounding Alex Pietrangelo

Few players generated as many reports as Pietrangelo in the early portion of free agency.

Darren Dreger of TSN reported the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vegas Golden Knights spoke to him. Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic reported he hasn't ruled out returning to the St. Louis Blues.

Rutherford also noted the expectation was Pietrangelo would visit at least one potential suitor before making a decision.

As for the Maple Leafs, general manager Kyle Dubas said of possibly signing the defenseman, "They know where we stand and what our interest is and what our limitations are," per James Mirtle of The Athletic.

Pietrangelo has spent his entire career, which started in 2008-09, with the Blues and is a two-time All-Star who helped St. Louis win the 2019 Stanley Cup. He may be 30 years old, but he showed no signs of slowing down in 2019-20 with 52 points on 36 assists and 16 goals in 70 games.

He is the rare No. 1 defender who can control the game defensively on the blue line and press forward and help the offense as a scorer.

David Schoen of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reacted to a report that St. Louis was bringing in Torey Krug by saying, "This would seem to indicate that Alex Pietrangelo will not re-sign with the Blues."

With that in mind, the prediction here is he will sign with Vegas.

That Dubas is already talking about "limitations" doesn't bode well for Toronto, and the Golden Knights are a Stanley Cup contender who are in win-now mode and would benefit from the veteran's presence.

Most of the League Reportedly Interested in Taylor Hall

It doesn't get better in terms of offensive talent on the market than Hall.

He is just 28 years old and is already a two-time All-Star who won the 2017-18 Hart Memorial Trophy as the league's Most Valuable Player with the New Jersey Devils behind 93 points on 39 goals and 54 assists.

Elliotte Friedman appeared on NHL Network and said 25 teams checked in on him before listing the Boston Bruins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Nashville Predators and Montreal Canadiens as possible destinations.

Hall spent the first six seasons of his career on the Edmonton Oilers before playing for the Devils in the next three-plus. New Jersey traded him to the Arizona Coyotes in 2019-20, and, while he wasn't the same version of himself that won the Hart, he still finished the campaign with 52 points on 36 assists and 16 goals.

The prediction here is something of a surprise.

The Blue Jackets have cleared cap space with a flurry of moves, including trading Josh Anderson, trading Ryan Murray, trading Markus Nutivaara and placing Alexander Wennberg on unconditional waivers.

They are also looking for a dynamic offensive playmaker since Artemi Panarin left to join the New York Rangers, and Hall would fit the bill.

Look for Columbus to be the aggressor here and land Hall.