Taylor Hall is headed to his seventh NHL club.
After stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres, Arizona Coyotes, New Jersey Devils and Edmonton Oilers, the 33-year-old's next stop is the Carolina Hurricanes.
Hall was traded by the Blackhawks to the Hurricanes on Friday as part of a three-team deal that also involved the Colorado Avalanche. In addition to Hall, Carolina picked up star winger Mikko Rantanen and the rights to prospect Nils Juntorp.
Hall, acquired by the Blackhawks in an off-season trade in 2023, sees his tenure with the team end after 56 games. During that span, he recorded 11 goals and 17 assists for 28 points.
The left winger was held out of Friday's matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning, with the trade ultimately going down mid-game. After what ended up being a 4-3 overtime loss for the Blackhawks, Hall's now-former coach and teammates reacted to the news of his trade to the Hurricanes.
"He's a good pro," said Chicago's interim bench boss, Anders Sorensen. "Obviously, been around the league for a long time and had some good insight in terms of ideas, especially offensively. But a really good pro. He didn't play as much as he wanted to at times, maybe, but we had really good conversations, so he was really good about everything."
Currently at a minus-15, Hall is averaging 14:59 of ice time this season, the lowest of his career. A former Hart Trophy winner, he was brought in by the Blackhawks to provide a veteran presence for their young and rebuilding roster.
The Blackhawks, with their 15-28-5 record, currently sit last in the Central Division, second-last in the Western Conference and second-last in the league overall.
"When you're not where you're supposed to be, and guys are on expiring contracts, it's the harsh reality of decisions that management has to make, and it sucks," said Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno, who played with Hall in both Chicago and Boston. "We have no one else to blame but ourselves, really, putting ourselves in a position where they have to start thinking about the future and selling off. It's not a fun feeling for anybody in here."
He added, "I wish Hallsy all the best. He was a great pro for us and a great teammate, he's a great guy, and he'll be a great friend for a long time."
"Hallsy was great to me, honestly," echoed Blackhawks youngster Frank Nazar. "I came in, and I started playing with him, he's a very competitive guy, so I'm happy he's gonna go and be able to play and make a push (with the Hurricanes). He gave a lot of great advice and had a lot of good things to say, so I'm just thankful for the opportunity to play with him and be on his team."
