CHICAGO -- Taylor Hall likes where he is, but the Chicago Blackhawks forward knows he could be with another team by the time the NHL Trade Deadline arrives at 3 p.m. ET on March 7.
"I came into this year wanting to continue being a Blackhawk for years to come," Hall said Wednesday. "I don't know if that's going to be the case anymore, but I'll leave that door open, for sure and understand it's a business and that the team's going to do what's best for them. We'll see what happens."
Hall has 22 points (eight goals, 14 assists) in 43 games this season. The 33-year-old is in the final season of a four-year, $24 million contract ($6 million average annual value) he signed with the Boston Bruins on July 23, 2021.
Blackhawks coach Anders Sorensen said Hall hasn't let trade talk affect him.
"He's handled it. He's a pro. I haven't seen a change in his demeanor," Sorensen said. "He comes to work, he works out, he's asking questions, we're talking about things. I don't see any inkling of him looking elsewhere. He's been a pro about it."
The No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Draft, Hall has 719 points (274 goals, 445 assists) in 875 games with the Oilers, New Jersey Devils, Arizona Coyotes, Buffalo Sabres, Bruins and Blackhawks.
Hall, who has 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) in 39 Stanley Cup Playoff games, was last in the postseason in 2022-23 with the Bruins, when he had eight points (five goals, three assists) in seven games. The possibility of going back to the playoffs would certainly be enticing.
"There's always a bright spot and there's always a positive you can take going on forward. Everyone in a contract year knows there's a lot of different ways things can go," he said. "I'm ready for anything. I have a great wife who is always ready for a good adventure, and if that's here or if that's somewhere else, we'll figure it out."
The Blackhawks acquired Hall and now-captain Nick Foligno from the Bruins on June 26, 2023, to be a mentor and potential linemate for Connor Bedard, Chicago's No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Hall missed most of last season after having surgery on his right knee in November 2023 and has played up and down the forward lines this season.
The additions of Hall and Foligno last season, coupled with Chicago signing veteran forwards Tyler Bertuzzi, Teuvo Teravainen, Patrick Maroon and Craig Smith, and defensemen TJ Brodie and Alec Martinez on July 1, was supposed to help improve its rebuild. However, the Blackhawks (14-28-2) have continued to struggle and rank last in the NHL standings after finishing 31st last season and 30th in 2022-23.
Chicago is last in the Central Division, five points behind the Nashville Predators, who it plays at Bridgestone Arena on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; FDSNSO, CHSN). Coach Luke Richardson was fired Dec. 5 and replaced by Sorensen.
Hall, who has been traded four times in his NHL career, said things may have been different if the Blackhawks had gotten off to a better start this season, when they went 3-6-1 in their first 10 games and never recovered.
"You look back even to our exhibition games, we got thumped in a lot of games and it just set our year off on a tough foot," he said. "That's no one's fault in particular; it's just the way it happened, and I think that really put us behind the 8-ball. For a veteran guy like myself, when that happens at the start of the year, you can see maybe things are going to shake out a bit differently or maybe just not how you want throughout the season."
"I'm trying to have the best attitude I can. I'm always going to be a good pro and I'm always going to play hard. So yeah, I just keep saying it, but we'll see what happens. I'm here and I love playing with these guys still."
