Blackhawks forward reveals he wants to stay in Chicago but Kyle Davidson's feeling might not be mutual
Taylor Hall responds to trade rumors amidst struggling season with Blackhawks
Taylor Hall has faced adversity throughout the past few seasons in the NHL as in the 2023-24 season, he was forced to get knee surgery and rehab for a long period of time.
Taylor Hall was so far removed from the NHL last season rehabbing his knee injury that when he notched his 700th career point on Tuesday night, the Chicago Blackhawks forward was caught off guard.
The only milestone Hall had on his mind was getting through the first few weeks of the season healthy and feeling strong. Because last year was a grind.
Hall's journey back to the ice was long, mostly detached from the Blackhawks, his teammates, and at times, even his family.
Hall rented an apartment in suburban Philadelphia and spent 10 to 12 days there per month rehabbing with a multi-sport expert on ACL tears on the advice of his personal trainer, Andy O'Brien. Hall credited his wife, Rachel, for her support and encouragement to take an atypical rehab path - something more popular in sports other than hockey.
He was skating again three months after the November surgery and said he felt back to full strength again in May. There was thought that he might attempt to play for Team Canada at the World Championship in Czechia, but decided to take his time.
This is a big year, for Hall and for the Blackhawks. Chicago wants to take a meaningful step forward in Year 2 of the Bedard Experience. Now 32, Hall is in a contract year, the final season of a four-year, $24 million deal signed in Boston that ultimately brought him to Chicago as a cap casualty.
The Hawks have surrounded Bedard and Co. with more veteran support up front in Teuvo Teravainen, Tyler Bertuzzi, Ilya Mikheyev, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith. Hall was almost the forgotten addition since he only played 10 games last season.
Luke Richardson has tasked Hall with driving play on his own line, but he has been impressed with how Bedard has managed the spotlight and pressure to perform. Hall mentioned a noticeable improvement already this season in Bedard's defensive awareness and his clear desire to become a more complete player.
That growth has Hall thinking about the future, and what his role might be in it for Chicago. He is highly motivated to get back to a higher level and to show that he can be more than just a stopgap player brought in to bridge the years from rebuild to playoff team.
If he has a choice, Hall is saying it now: He wants to be in Chicago. It's too early to say if the feeling is mutual.
| POLL | ||
Out of these 3 forwards, who should the Blackhawks send packing by letting their contract expire first? | ||
| Taylor Hall | 24 | 23.3 % |
| Andreas Athanasiou | 70 | 68 % |
| Tyler Bertuzzi | 9 | 8.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
