Former No. 1 overall pick Taylor Hall didn’t expect to be on the move again, but as soon as he was, he embraced it.
After seeing his role with the Chicago Blackhawks diminish in recent weeks, Hall welcomed the trade that sent him to the Carolina Hurricanes in a three-team blockbuster deal involving the Colorado Avalanche.
Hall discussed the move from Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday, as reported by Mark Lazerus of The Athletic.
“My playing time in Chicago, for whatever reason, was not what I would have liked it to be,” Hall said. “So I was happy to be traded, and I was happy to come to a really good team that has a culture in place and a structure that I feel fits well with me.”
The 33-year-old forward had seen his ice time drop significantly as the Blackhawks seemed to lean further into their young players of late, giving more opportunities to players like Frank Nazar and Colton Dach.
By early January, Hall was averaging north of 15 minutes per game. Once the Blackhawks moved him down to the fourth line, however, his ice time dropped to barely over 12:30 minutes per contest.
“They’re on a different timeline than my career is, right?” Hall said. “So I get it, I understand it. I wanted to play more. I’m definitely a better player than the amount I was playing. But you also understand where they’re coming from.”
Hall wrapped up his season with the Blackhawks scoring nine goals and 24 points in 46 games. In exchange for Hall, Chicago landed their own third-round pick back from Carolina while retaining part of Mikko Rantanen’s salary to facilitate the deal.
Hall is now on his seventh NHL team, an unusual path for a top draft selection, and has already bagged one point (an assist)decked in Hurricanes gear.
“Not everyone’s career goes exactly how they want,” Hall said. “I know I went No. 1 and a lot of guys stick with that team when they go No. 1. But I’m proud of my career and I think there’s a lot more ahead of me.
“I’ve played almost 900 games and I have a chance at a Stanley Cup this year. That’s my mindset.”
