Quoting: Db_2984
1. Hall never had chemistry with McDavid. They both prefer to have the puck at all times. It is hard to imagine a line with better chemistry than RNH/Draisaitl/Yamo have already. There is not a logical place on the roster for Hall.
2. Hall is going to cost what it would cost to sign a respectable 3C AND a decent backup goalie COMBINED. Signing a good 3C and a great backup is going to have a much more positive impact on the team's performance over a season than Hall possibly could. It would also be better long-term to free up cap space to lock down great young RFAs to long-term sweetheart contracts. Like imagine if they could lock down Ethan Bear long-term instead of doing a bridge deal? They already made the mistake of not getting Nurse long-term for cheap and now it is really going to cost the team when he demands UFA pay. Smarter uses for the team's money.
3. Hall is no spring chicken anymore. He is injured a lot.
4. If they are going to pay what Hall is going to command as a UFA, then why him? For a little bit more, you might be able get a real difference-maker like Alex Pietrangelo, for a little bit less you could get someone like Hoffman or Dadonov.
Glad to see you took a super thorough look at the roster.
1. Hall and Draisaitl have a known chemistry, and it has a larger sample size than the DYNamite Line had this season. Nugent-Hopkins and McDavid have had chemistry in the past, and Hall and McDavid ran the show at the 2016 World Championships. The sample size they have together is tiny, and worth looking further into if signed. Adding Hall to this roster as either the #1LW or #2LW gives Edmonton a huge boost to its forward depth; there's clearly a place on the roster for Hall.
2. Soderberg and Greiss match those descriptions and Hall cost more. All three made it to the roster, so the money this year isn't an issue.
You are right in identifying that Bear isn't locked up on a long-term deal, and his next paycheque is going to be much more costly than the one he has now. Ideally, cap raises, Sekera's buyout coming off the books, and Bouchard taking the mantle as the #1RD on the team keep Bear's big boy contract at around the $5M mark. Fortunately, Bear will still be under club control by the time his bridge deal expires. Nurse's deal is very situational: he wanted a UFA payday this offseason but hasn't specifically warranted anything more than what Josh Morrisey signed for. Edmonton has all of next season to re-up Nurse at a $7M cap hit if they so want: the money works as all of the depth UFA signings were designed to expire when Bear, Bouchard, Jones, and Nurse needed new deals. It's likely that Benson, McLeod, and the winner of Konovalov vs. Rodrigue find themselves on the 23-24 roster on very cheap deals. I don't think future money - so long as the team properly manages its cap appropriately and the new TV deal is as lucrative as it's expected to be - is going to be an issue until McDavid is up for another payday.
You are however, dead wrong about the positive impact that a depth center and backup would have over adding Hall. Be it GAR or WAR, Hall's net impact on the team easily outweighs depth signings. Hall pushes Athanasiou or Ennis to the third line, making the team deeper. Not adding that caliber of winger means that both Athanasiou and Ennis must play as top-six wingers.
3. That's the risk in this signing. That's the only part of it I'm iffy on. I don't think Hall will be able to max out on AAV due to the flat cap and will settle for a deal with term instead, but it's likely he doesn't finish the deal.
4. What room is there for Pietrangelo? What benefit is there in giving term to UFAs past the 30-year mark? Hoffman and Dadonov are fine substitutes to Hall - and should come in 2 years and $2M cheaper - but the Oilers should have no interest in Pietrangelo without flipping Larsson. I'd wager there's more risk in going long-term with Pietrangelo than there is with Hall.