CHICAGO -- Connor Bedard said he learned a lot from Taylor Hall and will miss the veteran forward after the latter was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes by the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
“He was really good for me, obviously being in a similar situation to him coming into our careers,” Bedard said Saturday. “He was always giving me advice or there for questions or whatever. I ended up becoming pretty close to him.”
Bedard was the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft by Chicago and is in his second season. The 19-year-old center leads the Blackhawks (15-28-5) with 42 points (13 goals, 29 assists) in 48 games.
Hall, the No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2010 NHL Draft, was part of the blockbuster three-team trade that included Carolina also acquiring forward Mikko Rantanen from the Colorado Avalanche. The Blackhawks acquired a third-round pick in the 2025 Draft from Carolina and will also retain half of Rantanen’s $9.25 million salary.
The 33-year-old forward had 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists) in 46 games for Chicago this season. He has 721 points (275 goals, 446 assists) in 878 NHL games with the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins and Blackhawks.
Hall was acquired from the Bruins, along with current captain Nick Foligno, on June 26, 2023, to help Bedard, then an 18-year-old rookie, transition to the NHL from the Western Hockey League. Hall had four points (two goals, two assists) in 10 games before having season-ending ACL surgery on his right knee in November 2023.
He will make his Hurricanes debut, along with Rantanen, at the New York Islanders on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, MSGSN).
“It (stinks) he's gone, but obviously it's pretty exciting for him -- new opportunity and everything,” Bedard said. “But we're going to miss him.”
Asked if there was one thing Hall said that stuck with him, Bedard said, “I don't know if there's one specific thing. It's just in the moment, when you have a question or anything, he was usually the first guy I'd go to for something like that.
“He meant a lot to me coming in. I'm thankful that I was able to play with him for a bit.”
Hall said last week he expected to be traded, but some of his former teammates were surprised how it unfolded: Hall was expected to play against the Tampa Bay Lightning at United Center on Friday but was scratched just prior to a 4-3 overtime loss.
“It was interesting. He was there at the rink, playing sewer [ball], and then the next thing you know, obviously what happens. But that's the business of it, I guess,” Bedard said. “Obviously it (stinks); you're hanging out with a guy one minute, and then he's gone and he's not at the rink anymore. It's a weird thing. But it's just how it is.”
They’ll have a chance to catch up again soon; the Blackhawks visit the Hurricanes (30-16-3) on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, CHSN).
“It's kind of nice we get to see him in a few days,” Bedard said. “It'll be weird, obviously, playing with him and then (in a few) days he's going up against you. It'll be fun, though. I'm excited to play against him and see him.
“It's an exciting opportunity for him to go there and compete for a (Stanley) Cup.”
