Hall: 'I know I can be a difference-maker' for Blackhawks
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Taylor Hall is looking to be a difference-maker with the Chicago Blackhawks this season.
The 32-year-old veteran winger was acquired from the Boston Bruins, along with forward Nick Foligno, ahead of the 2023 draft where the team had high hopes for him to play alongside phenom Connor Bedard.
However, Hall’s season only lasted 10 games after tearing the ACL in his right knee, which required season-ending surgery.
Hall is now looking to prove to the Blackhawks and the rest of the NHL that after his long recovery, he is ready to get back to playing at a high level.
“I’m really confident I’ll be a solid contributor for the Blackhawks this year,” Hall told Ben Pope of the Chicago Sun-Times on Sunday. “What makes me say that is the hockey I’ve played and the preparation I’ve done this summer. When I get on the ice with some really good NHL players here in Ontario, I know I can be a difference-maker for our team.”
Hall has been training in Ontario in the off-season along with other veteran NHLers such as John Tavares, Brandon Montour, Dylan Cozens, Adam Henrique, Erik Gudbranson, and Sam Gagner.
He is hoping to be ready when the Blackhawks play their preseason opener against the Detroit Red Wings on Sept. 25.
“My full clearance will come when I get back to Chicago and I’m able to show [the Hawks} that I [can] handle contact, which won’t be a problem – I’ve been introducing that slowly this summer,” said Hall. “It’s more of a contact thing, and they want to do that in a controlled setting. It’s hard to do that when they don’t have eyes on me every day.”
Hall has had a hard time staying healthy the last two seasons. He recorded two goals and four points in 10 games with the Blackhawks last season and registered 16 goals and 36 points in only 61 games with the Bruins in 2022-23.
While recovering from the knee injury, Hall’s ability to skate was restricted during the six-month period to recover. He instead used the time to work on his shot in the hopes of being a better goal-scorer when he returns.
“I would love to score a few more goals this year than in the past,” said Hall. “I’m usually good for 20 every year, but to get up near 30, that would be fun for me at this age. I’ve shot more pucks in the last six months than I had in the last few years.
“That’s a bit of a goal of mine – to not only shoot the puck more but [also] get in better spots where I’m taking one-timers more, shooting off the pace more and just adding that back into my game.”
Hall has been excited by the moves Chicago has made in the off-season with the acquisitions of forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teravainen, and defencemen T.J. Brodie and Alec Martinez, among others.
He feels that the progression of young players like Bedard and Philipp Kurashev, along with his return and the new additions will surprise some teams when it comes to the NHL playoff race.
“If you look at our back end, when we’re healthy, that’s a playoff-type D-core,” said Hall. “It’s going to be up to us, as forwards, to supplement them and support them as much as possible.”