Selected first overall in the 2010 NHL entry Draft, Taylor Hall hasn’t quite found a home in any team in the league, and has been in six different teams already in his career. Hall hoped to etch his name into the Chicago Blackhawks history upon arriving in Windy City in 2023. However, and despite playing alongside star Connor Bedard, Hall has issued a bold statement, hinting at a possible trade out of Chicago.
The 2024-25 NHL season has been a complete disaster for the Blackhawks. Chicago crashed and burned, languishing at the bottom of the standings. After losing four of the first six games of the New Year, the Blackhawks have little hope moving forward, and the locker room is beginning to unravel as the results continue to go against them.
Hall registers 22 points on the season, mainly playing in the Blackhawks‘ fourth line along Pat Maroon and Ryan Donato. He only tallies two points over the first six games of 2025, and hasn’t recorded a multi-point game since December 23.
Moreover, Hall will become an unrestricted free agent when the season comes to an end, and though his ceiling makes fans hope for him to find his best self and be a reliable asset in Bedard’s supporting cast, Hall himself issued an honest statement on his future.
Taylor Hall of the New Jersey Devils poses with the Hart Trophy given to the most valuable player to his team in the press room at the 2018 NHL Awards presented by Hulu at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on June 20, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“I came into this year wanting to continue being a Blackhawk for years to come,” Taylor Hall stated, per Chicago Tribune. “I don’t know if that’s going to be the case anymore, but I’ll leave that door open for sure.”
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NHL News: Chicago HC Anders Sorensen calls out Connor Bedard, rest of the team after awful loss
Although Hall’s stats this season are far from impressive, the 33-year-old winger provides solid depth for any contending team. As the trade deadline approaches, Hall could become a sought-after rental for teams aiming to make a deep Stanley Cup playoff run.
Bedard makes disheartening comment
Stress makes people age faster, and since joining the Blackhawks, Connor Bedard seems to have lived through 20 years in the NHL, even though he hasn’t yet blown out 20 candles on his birthday cake.
After the Hawks’ third consecutive loss, in embarrassing fashion against the Calgary Flames, Bedard sent a very frustrating message to the locker room. While players typically celebrate their 100th career point with joy and pride, Bedard looked anything but jubilant.
“It’s really frustrating,” a defeated Bedard confessed postgame, via The Chicago Sun-Times. “We’re competitive athletes and we take a lot of pride in our games, our group as a team and our fan base. It’s been hard. It’s been a lot of games to lose. It weighs on you. Yeah, I mean, just trying to find a way of it, trying to get better every day. But it’s hard.”
Connor Bedard #98 of the Chicago Blackhawks looks on against the Columbus Blue Jackets during the second period at the United Center on December 01, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
Nick Foligno has had enough
Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno has become sick and tired of the losing habits the franchise has embarked on. After the harsh defeat to the Flames, and essentially waving their season goodbye, Foligno dropped a very stern warning to his teammates.
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NHL News: Blackhawks star Connor Bedard drops deflating message to Anders Sorensen, teammates
“You’re going to keep hearing me saying the same dumb s—, and it’s going to get old, and I’m going to get tired of saying it,” Foligno told reporters postgame. “It’s just the reality of where we’re at.”