Taylor Hall praises Todd McLellan, hopes to continue relationship with Oilers

Todd McLellan has Taylor Hall's seal of approval.

The Edmonton Oilers are expected to announce the hiring of McLellan as their new head coach Tuesday, and Hall - who played under the coach with Team Canada at the World Championship - is excited about the hiring.

"A lot of people have been speculating that and I’ve heard there’s a good chance it’s going to happen," Hall told Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal. "If he’s the coach, it’s going to be a lot of fun to play with him. He’s a tremendous coach. He makes people around him better."

Hall thinks the addition of McLellan could make the Oilers a more prepared team as they look to rebound from another losing season.

"Whether it was the power play or the penalty kill or whatever, we were so prepared,” Hall said. "By the end of the tournament, it wasn’t who we were playing, it was all about the structure and identity we had."

McLellan, 47, is considered one of the best coaching options available and would become another new face in Edmonton, joining new CEO Bob Nicholson and general manager Peter Chiarelli.