Taylor Hall's postgame words to Connor McDavid cut deeper than they sound

Hall, 34, hoisted the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes on June 14 after Carolina shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 in Game 6 to win the series 4-2.

He opened the scoring just 3:47 into the clinching game, driving a rebound past the Vegas net for his seventh goal of the postseason, and finished the run with 19 points in 19 playoff games.

Postgame, Hall was asked about his former Edmonton Oilers teammate Connor McDavid - the greatest player of his generation and still without a championship.

His answer, reported by Gene Principe, was direct: if there is anyone who deserves to win the Stanley Cup, it's McDavid.

The hockey world absorbed it as one of those rare postgame moments that feel genuinely human.

Hall's admiration for McDavid is real - they came up together in Edmonton, two number one overall picks sharing a dressing room before Hall's long journey took him to New Jersey, Buffalo, Boston, and finally Raleigh.

Hall wasn't even Carolina's primary acquisition. Per CBS Sports, he was a throw-in piece from the Chicago Blackhawks in the three-way trade that brought Mikko Rantanen to Raleigh from Colorado.

McDavid, meanwhile, remains the entire frame of reference for the Edmonton Oilers - a multi-time Hart Trophy winner with scoring titles and a Cup Final appearance in 2024 that ended in heartbreak.

Hall's words were generous, but what they quietly underscore is how little hardware the most dominant player of his era has to show for it.

Hall waited 16 years from draft day to championship - the longest gap for a number one overall pick in league history, per ESPN.

McDavid has been chasing the Cup for over a decade and is still no closer to an answer.