Taylor Hall’s unexpected absence from the lineup in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 4–1 loss to the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday caught everybody by surprise, including the veteran forward.
Hall’s getting a healthy scratch from the Hawks’ lineup prompted candid comments from the player and head coach Luke Richardson ahead of Tuesday’s matchup against the Anaheim Ducks.
Hall admitted he was caught off guard by the decision, saying there had been no indication he was at risk of being scratched.
“I was surprised by it,” Hall said, per Charlie Roumeliotis of WGN Radio. “It was unexpected from the standpoint of I just didn’t know I was even close to being in that spot, really.
“If there were some conversations in the days leading up about my game or if I was constantly being shown video it would be one thing, but I was a bit surprised.”
Taylor Hall was caught off guard by Saturday’s healthy scratch: “I was surprised by it. It was unexpected from the standpoint of I just didn’t know I was even close to being in that spot, really. If there were some conversations in the days leading up about my game or if I was…
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) November 18, 2024
Hall is a former Hart Trophy winner as the MVP of the NHL in the 2018 season. He has struggled to start this season, however, scoring just six points in 17 games and prompting Richardson to scratch him on Saturday.
“We communicated,” Hall said after Monday’s practice. “It wasn’t anything argumentative. He thought it was best for me to reset, so that’s what I’m going to do.
“I’m not immune to coaching or immune to being held accountable. I just want to play better and be better for our team.”
Richardson, meanwhile, acknowledged that his approach with Hall might have lacked sufficient communication beforehand.
“That could be part of my problem, too. Sometimes you give veterans a little bit more of a grace period,” Richardson said. “For me to communicate with him, I need to get to know the player more, to see how they like to handle that. We talked lots during and after, but maybe it needs to be more before [the scratch].”
This is Ricardson’s third season at the helm of the Blackhawks and Hall’s second after Chicago traded for him in June 2023, so both have shared the locker room for nearly a year and a half since the transaction was completed.
The Blackhawks lost to the Canucks 4-1 on Saturday dropping to a 6-11-1 record on the season and entering Tuesday’s contest sitting last in the Central Division with 13 points in 18 games.
