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Hall hopes to return during Oilers’ road trip

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Edmonton Oilers forward Taylor Hall hopes to return from his knee injury sometime during the team’s upcoming four-game road trip, the Edmonton Journal reports.

“There’s no way I’m not going to play my first game for a couple of weeks,” Hall said Saturday. “Hopefully I keep progressing. I’ll probably have to wear the brace for the rest of the year but I don’t even feel it.”

It’s great that Hall is so eager to return, but the Oilers would be wise to play it safe. That’s especially true if it seems as if this is a lost season, as risking a key component could have long-term consequences; the star winger probably wants to try to “save” the team, yet knee injuries can be tricky.

The temptation is obvious, though. Hall, 21, may very well be the best of Edmonton’s slew of high-end young players. He has almost a point-per-game in 2013-14 (eight in nine) and accomplished that feat last season (50 points in 45 contests).

The key, then, is to walk the right line between getting him in plenty of games this season and making sure he’ll participate in a whole lot more in the future.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins