The Shawn Horcoff contract is already infamous for its shortsightedness on the part of Oilers management, but one side effect is that the honest but overpaid centre is not going anywhere for quite awhile.

And while the issue of the captaincy is certainly better reserved for those inside the dressing room, I can’t help but think how great the ‘C’ would look on Taylor Hall’s sweater in the near future.

True, Jordan Eberle is also a great candidate to lead the team once Horcoff’s tenure is finished in Edmonton (or if the current captain relinquishes the letter, though the veteran has done nothing of ill repute to conjure up such a scenario), but his slightly younger teammate has shown huge fire lately.

When it comes to skill, Hall is unquestioned. Even when the Oilers are in a funk, Hall is blazing out there and in a gutsy loss to the Canucks this week, he was involved in both Edmonton goals. As we saw in last Saturday’s setback against archrival Calgary, Hall is also passionate. He kinda lost it when coach Tom Renney pulled the goalie even though the team was down several goals at the time.

I realize this is not what great leaders do, but Hall is just 20 years old and the ability to reign in his emotions and know when to express them behind closed doors instead of in front of 20,000 people will come with experience. I like the fact that he cares.

Once again, this is becoming a lost season for the Oilers. The goaltender of the present (Nikolai Khabibulin) is slowing down fast, while the netminder of the future (Devan Dubnyk) has yet to arrive in full blossom. Potential Calder Trophy winner Ryan Nugent-Hopkins is hurt and he seemed to take most of the offence with him. The defence is, as per usual, a shambles thanks to injuries and lack of depth.

But Hall keeps on trucking.

In fact, hardly anything seems to slow him down. When the sophomore sustained a gruesome head injury when he was accidentally stepped on by Corey Potter during pre-game warmups, one Internet wag claimed Hall was done for the season. The youngster corrected him on Twitter, then came back after a two-game absence.

Sure, it’s early in his career, but the passion Taylor Hall is demonstrating, and the skill he brings with it, bodes well for his future in Edmonton.