When 32-year-old Taylor Hall was ruled out for the season last fall, much of the steam that came with his arrival was released. After being last summer’s prized acquisition (besides Connor Bedard), the former Hart Trophy winner played in only ten games before being shut down.
This summer, when the Blackhawks brought in eight NHL-caliber players via free agency, Hall almost felt forgotten, as if he was swallowed up on the lineup by all the new talent. He’s still spending most of his time on the second line, where he’s been successful to start the season. Still, with Hall set to hit free agency next summer and the Blackhawks working on bringing in their young talent in their “new era,” his future in Chicago was anything but certain.
This week, Hall revealed a surprisingly optimistic outlook on his future with the ever-changing Blackhawks.
“I’d love to stay and be part of this. I’ve moved around quite a bit, maybe more than I would’ve liked or planned at the start of my career. But it’s brought me and led me to some amazing people, and I’ve had a lot of great life experiences, and that’s made me grow up a lot. In saying that, I like it here, I like the organization. Most of all, I really like this team and the group of guys we have. I think I can be a good piece for us as we keep growing. If there was interest on their side, I’d definitely love to be around the team and help build this.”
— Taylor Hall
First of all, it’s incredibly refreshing to see players sharing this type of sentiment. We’re not far removed from the days where nearly every veteran was at least making some sort of remark about how it’s “no fun” to play on such a terrible team. Defenseman Seth Jones has been the most vocal of all, explicitly expressing his displeasure multiple times last season. But for players to feel this way now means the Blackhawks are building something special, and the players have taken notice.
With skaters more excited to play in Chicago, that could also mean big things for the Blackhawks in free agency. They obviously fared pretty well this summer, largely due to a great sales job by Nick Foligno, who was credited with generating interest among a few players. If Hall’s feelings are similar to those of the rest of the league, Chicago may not have to try as hard to sell free agents on their future. The Blackhawks are putting the league on notice.
Could Hall be brought back? The answer probably lies within his ability to stay healthy. He still has a small sample size with Chicago and will have to prove he can stay off of injured reserve in order to earn a new contract. He’s far from the elder statesman in the room, but his health has clearly become an issue – he and the team agreed this season that he wouldn’t skate more than four days in a row, meaning he’ll miss quite a few practices and maybe even a game or two this season. If he can stay in the lineup, however, and reach his potential in the scoring column, he’ll have a pretty good chance at returning, even if only on a short-term deal.
